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A.    KEPORT 


UPON  TIIK 


CONDITION  OF  AFFAIRS 


JX   THE 


TEPtPiITOPtY  OF  ALASKA. 


BY 

HENRY   W.  TT-'LIOTT, 

SPECIAL  AGENT  TKEASUKY  DZPARTMEXT. 

•     • 

•  • 

•  • 

•  • 
•  • 

......             ... 

.      ..       .       •      ♦..                •••        ......          ".'...      ... 

....      .          ...      ...           ...    ...     ...  »        •••.*•. 

...         .              *.   ••          ......•••         .         .        ♦,    • 

..      .         .         •      ••,            ........      .         ..         ., 

..•*.       ..•         •         *         •. 

•        .     .         ....        ..•      .       ..      .       •       ........... 

.        ......       •       ..,  .     . 

.    .  ..♦ ..;  •  •  ..:  .. 
.    ••;♦.•,••.    . 

.......  ..   ..  .  . 

VV  ASHINGTOX: 

COVECNMENT     PRINTING    OFFICE. 

1875. 

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t:-^ 


LETTER  TO  THE  SECEETAEY  OF  THE  TREASURY. 


Washington,  1).  C,  Nove/aher  1 G,  IST'i. 

Sir:  Iu  compliance  \vitb  the  provisions  of  the  act  of  Congress 
api)roved  April  22,  1874,  I  have  the  honor  to  snbniit  the  fol- 
lowing report  upon  the  condition  and  importance  of  the  fur- 
trade  in  the  Territory  of  Alaska  ;  "the  present  condition  of  the 
seal-fisheries  of  Alaska ;  the  haunts  and  habits  of  the  seal ;  the 
preservation  and  extension  of  the  fisheries  as  a  source  of  reve- 
nue to  the  United  States,  with  like  information  respecting  the 
fur-bearing  animals  of  Alaska  generally ;  the  statistics  of  the 
fur-trade ;  and  the  condition  of  the  people  or  natives,  especially 
those  upon  "whom  the  successful  prosecution  of  the  fisheries  and 
fur-trade  is  dependent :'' 

The  first  measure  suggested  by  my  inves'jigations  this  season, 
is  one  of  reform  in  the  present  government  of  the  Territory.  Ife 
is  supposed  that  a  useless  outlay  of  money  and  labor  is 
not  intended  to  be  persisted  in,  when  the  same  annual  expend- 
iture will  give  prompt  and  effective  supervision  over  interests 
iu  that  region  which  seem  now  to  be  sadly  neglected.  The 
present  mismanagement  of  affairs  in  Alaska  is  not  attributable 
to  any  other  cause  than  that  of  the  universal  ignorance  prevail- 
ing in  the  United  States,  at  the  time  of  the  transfer,  in  regard 
to  the  form  of  government  needed,  and  since  then  no  one  seems 
to  have  taken  any  intelligent  or  active  interest  iu  the  matter. 
In  the  following  report,  herewith  submitted,  I  desire  to  draw 
your  attention  to  the  statements  and  suggestions  contained  in 
the  chapter  devoted  to  this  subject,  and  I  trust  that  yon  may 
be  pleased  to  give  them  your  approval. 

The  pecuniary  value  of  the  fur-seal  interests  of  the  Govern-, 
ment  renders  it  highly  important  that  the  Treasury  Department, 
now  intrusted  with  its  care  and  snpervi&ion,  should  possess 
definite  and  authoritative  information  as  to  its  proper  manage- 
ment— for  its  perpetuation  in  its  original  integrity,  at  least.  I, 
therefore,  take  great  pleasure  in  calling  your  attention  especially 
to  the  accompanying  report  upon  the  subject,  which  embodies 
the  results  of  three  seasons'  (1872,  1873,  and  1874)  close  per- 

4053G3 


4  ALASKA. 

sonal  observation  and  research  on  the  ground,  with  maps  and 
ilhistrations. 

In  connection  with  the  condition  of  the  natives  of  the  Terri- 
tory, on  whom  the  successful  prosecution  of  the  fur-trade  is 
dependent,  I  have  been  led  into  a  very  careful  study  of  the 
history  and  habits  of  the  sea-otter  in  this  country,  to  the  suc- 
cessful hunting  of  which  between  four  and  five  thousand  Chris- 
tian Aleutians  and  Kodiakers  look  for  a  means  of  livelibood. 
Since  the  transfer,  fire-arms,  formerly  proscribed,  have  been 
introduced  among  the  sea-otter  hunters.  This,  in  combination 
with  the  keenest  rivalry  of  opposition  traders,  makes  it  only  a 
question  of  a  very  short  time  ere  these  valuable  and  interesting- 
animals  are  exterminated,  on  the  existence  of  which  so  many 
christianized  natives  are  totally  dependent  for  all  of  the  com- 
forts, and  many  even  of  the  necessities,  of  a  semi-civilized 
life.  The  remedy  for  this  is  a  very  simple  and  eftective  one,  and 
I  beg  leave  to  refer  to  my  discussiou  of  the  subject  in  this 
report  nnder  the  head  of  the  sea-otter  and  its  hunters. 

In  my  report  it  will  be  seen  that  I  have  given  the  Yukon, 
Aleutian,  and  Sitkan  sections  close  attention,  having  yet  to 
more  fully  examine  the  Kodiak,  Cook's  Inlet,  and  Copper  Eiver 
districts ;  that  I  have,  in  connection  with  Lieut.  Washburn  , 
3Iaynard,  United  States  Navy,  my  associate  during  the  past 
season,  carefully  resurveyed  the  area  and  position  of  the  breed- 
ing-grounds of  the  fur-seal  on  the  Prybilov  Islands.  We  sur- 
veyed Saint  Matthew's  Island,  which  is  contiguous  and  was 
entirelj'  unknown  and  uninhabited,  in  order  to  settle  the  ques- 
tion, so  frequently  asked,  and  to  which  no  definite  reply  could 
be  given,  as  to  whether  or  not  it  was  suitable  ground  for  fur- 
seals  to  land  upon  and  breed,  should  these  animals  ever  become 
dissatisfied  with  their  present  locality ;  and  that  1  have  com- 
piled, from  Itussian  and  other  authorities,  facts  and  statistics 
as  to  the  extent  of  the  fur-trade  in  the  early  days  of  the  Terri- 
tory, so  as  to  compare  with  the  condition  of  this  business  at  the 
present,  as  I  get  it  from  traders  and  agents  in  the  country  gen- 
erally. Of  necessity,  I  have  been  obliged  to  use  my  judgment 
in  selecting  and  taking  these  figures,  both  from  the  written  as 
well  as  the  verbal  authorities.  These  I  submit  as  being  very 
nearly  correct,  to  the  best  of  my  knowledge  and  belief.  The 
remarkable  increase  in  the  catch  of  fur-bearing  animals  since 
the  change  of  ownership  of  the  country  is  most  striking,  but 
in  perfect  harmony  with  the  strong  contrast  between  the  indo- 


ALASKA.  5 

lent,  make  shift  managemeut  of  the  Eassian-American  Fur 
Company  iu  later  times  and  that  of  our  energetic,  economical 
traders. 

The  extravagant  statements  which  have  been  made  in  regard 
to  the  resources  of  this  Territory,  which,  on  the  one  hand,  were 
they  true,  would  lit  it  for  the  future  reception  of  a  highly-civil- 
ized population,  while,  on  the  other,  it  would  be  made  a  land 
of  utter  desolation,  worthlessness,  and  an  entire  loss  of  seven 
millions  of  purchase-money,  besides  being  a  burden  to  the 
General  Government,  these  announcements,  so  often  made 
and  reiterated  throughout  our  country,  have  caused  me  to  pay 
great  attention  to  the  subject,  and  in  this  report  I  have  endeav- 
ored to  give  a  concise  description  of  the  agricultural  character 
of  the  Territory  as  I  have  seen  it,  which  thus  far  might  be  truth- 
fully summed  up  in  saying  that  there  are  more  acres  of  better 
land  lying  nowaswildernessand  jungle  in  sight  on  the  mountain- 
tops  of  the  Alleghanies  from  the  car-windows  of  the  Pennsylvania 
road  than  can  be  found  in  all  Alaska ;  and  when  it  is  remem- 
bered that  this  land,  wild,  iu  the  heart  of  one  of  our  oldest  and 
most  thickly-populated  States,  will  remain  as  it  now  is,  cheap, 
and  undisturbed  for  an  indefinite  time  to  come,  notwithstand- 
ing its  close  proximity  to  the  homes  of  millions  of  ener.r^etic 
and  enterprising  men,  it  is  not  difficult  to  estimate  the  value  of 
the  Alaskan  acres,  remote  as  they  are,  and  barred  out  by  a 
most  disagreeable  sea-coast  climate,  leaving  out  altogether  the 
great  West  and  vast  agricultural  regions  of  British  America  ; 
but  then,  directly  to  the  contrary,  it  would  be  wrong-  to  hint  by 
this  statement,  true  as  it  is,  that  the  country  is  worthless,  for 
on  the  Seal  Islands  alone  the  Government  possesses  property 
which  would  not  remain  in  the  market  many  days  unsold  were 
it  offered  for  seven  millions,  and  from  which  the  annual 
revenue  is  doubly  sufficient  to  meet  all  expenditures  for  the 
proper  government  of  the  whole  Territory,  if  the  matter  was 
correctly  adjusted.  Again,  it  should  be  understood  that,  be- 
yond a  few  outcrops  of  Tertiary  coal  and  small  leads  near  Sitka 
of  gold  and  silver,  with  reports  of  native  copper  in  situ,  nothing- 
is  known  whatever  of  the  mineral  wealth  of  the  Territory  at 
the  present  writing,  as  far  as  I  can  learn,  but  which  I  have 
reason  to  think  will  develop  into  some  value. 

My  opinion  with  reference  to  the  fishing  interests  in  the  Ter- 
ritory has  been  almost  entirely  formed  by  the  accounts  of  old, 
experienced  fishermen  whom  I  have  met  in  the  country  person- 


6  ALASKA. 

ally  enjinged  in  fishing-  in  these  waters.  The  value  and  proba- 
ble yield  of  the  cod-banks  of  Alaska  have  been  greatly  overrated, 
but  it  may  be  reasonably  anticipated  that  the  success  attending 
the  canning  of  salmon  on  the  Columbia  Pdver  will  stimulate  the 
prosecution  of  this  industry  at  the  mouths  of  all  the  large 
streams  and  rivers  of  the  Territory. 

In  connection  with  my  survey  of  affairs  in  the  Territory,  the 
Seal  Islands  in  especial,  I  have  been  most  fortunate  in  being 
associated  with  a  gentleman  so  efQcient  and  conscientious  as 
Lieut.  Washburn  Maynard,  the  officer  selected  by  the  Secre- 
tary of  the  Kavy,  in  compliance  with  the  act  of  Congress,  to- 
accom])any  me  on  this  tour  of  investigation,  and  to  report  in- 
dependently. 

It  is  also  fitting  that  I  should  speak  in  flattering  terms  of  the 
high  character  of  the  service  rendered  us  this  season  by  Capt» 
J.  G.  Baker,  commanding  the  United  States  revenue-cutter 
Eeliance,  who  carried  us  with  all  care  and  expedition  to  such 
points  as  we  saw  fit  to  designate,  and  which  it  was  possible  to 
visit  in  a  sailing-vessel,  with  the  time  allotted. 

The  several  subjects  within  the  scope  of  my  report  I  have 
arranged,  and  herewith  respectfully  present  in  the  following 
order,  viz : 
CHAPTER  I.  The  character  of  the  country. 

II.  The  natives  or  people  of  Alaska  ;  their 

CONDITION,  «S:c. 

III.  The  duty  of  the  Government  in  the  Ter- 
ritory OF  Alaska. 
TV.   Trade  in  the  Territory  and  the  traders, 

STATIONS,  &C. 
V.   The  SEA-OTTER  AND  ITS  HUNTING. 

VI.  The  CONDITION   of  affairs   on  the  Seal 

Islands  ;  Prybilov  group. 
YII.  The  haeits  of  the  fur  seal. 
YIII.  Fish  and  fisheries. 
IX.  Ornithology  of  the  Prybilov  Islands. 

APPENDIX. 

I  have  endeavored  in  the  preparation  of  this  report  to  be 
as  concise  as  possible,  perhaps  so  to  a  fault,  but  the  enumer- 
ation of  the  thousand  and  one  little  things  that  have  combined 
to  form  opinion,  and  indirectly  influence  one's  judgment,  can 
interest  no  one  but  the  writer. 


ALASKA.  7 

On  tlie  subject  of  Alaska,  it  is  safe  to  assert  that  no  otliei> 
unexplored  section  of  the  world  was  ever  brought  into  notice 
suddenly,  about  which  so  much  has  been  emphatically  and 
positively  written,  based  entirely  upon  the  whims  and  caprices 
of  the  writers,  and,  therefore,  it  will  not  be  at  all  surprising  if 
the  truth  in  regard  to  the  Territory  does  frequently  come  into 
contiict  with  many  erroneous  popular  opinions  respecting  it.       ^ 

With  the  hope  that  the  results  of  my  labor  as  presented  in 
the  following  report  will  meet  with  your  approval  and  support, 

I  have  the  honor  to  be,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient 
servant, 

HENRY  W.  ELLIOTT, 
S2}€cial  Agent  Treasury  De])artment. 

Hon.  B.  H.  Bristow, 

Secretary  of  the  Treasury. 


CHAPTER  I. 

THE  CHARACTER  OF  THE  COUNTRY. 

THE   TERRITORY   OF  ALASKA. 

So  much  has  been  said  pro  aud  con  as  to  the  natural  wealth 
and  advantages  of  our  new  acquisition,  the  Territory  of  Alaska, 
that  the  widest  possible  divergence  of  opinion  has  arisen  upon  this 
subject ;  on  the  one  hand,  we  hear  that  here  is  a  country  no  more 
rugged  or  uninviting  than  is  Sweden  or  oSTorway,  where  a  high 
civilization  exists,  with  just  as  much  natural  adaptation  for  the 
home  of  advancing  humanity,  with  vast  forests  of  the  finest 
ship-timber,  with  iron,  copper,  coal,  and  possibly  rich  gold  and 
silver  mines,  with  valleys  aud  plains  upon  which  sheep  aud  cattle 
can  be  bred  and  raised  without  more  than  ordinary  care,  so  abun- 
dant is  the  grass  and  other  vegetation ;  that  the  climate  is  ex- 
tremely mild  on  the  seaboard,  no  more  damp  and  foggy  than 
on  the  coast  of  Oregon,  &c. ;  while,  on  the  other  hand,  we  are 
as  gravely  told  that  it  is  an  area  of  total  desolation  ;  that  it  is 
locked  up  in  the  grasp  of  winter's  frosts  for  eight  or  nine  months 
in  the  year ;  that  icebergs  and  snow  fill  the  sea  and  drift  in 
fathomless  rifts ;   that  it  is  bare  and  barren,  only  moss  and 
swale  grass  5  that  even  the  inhabitants  there  drag  out  a  miser- 
able existence  on  seal-meat,  oil,  and  like  food ;  and  that  it  will 
never  become  the  home  of  white  men,  because  there  is  no  object 
in  the  land  that  will  draw  them  there  save  the  small  fur-trading 
interests. 

There  is  truth  in  both  declarations,  but  no  such  thing  as  a 
happy  medium  can  be  struck  between  the  two  views;  a  fair, 
dispassionate  statement  in  regard  to  this  matter,  however,  at 
the  time  of  the  transfer  of  the  Territory,  coukl  hardly  have  been 
made,  no  citizen  of  the  United  States  having  the  means  ov  the 
opportunity  to  form  a  proper  judgment.  The  Russians  did  not 
live  here  as  a  people,  but  as  a  companj^  of  fur-traders  only, 
with  a  single  eye  to  the  getting  of  skins ;  and  the  matter  of 
their  subsistence  while  so  doing  was  comparatively  of  little 
importance;  but  it  should  be  said  that  at  all  of  their  posts 
throughout  the  Territory  they  fully  tested  the  capabilities  of 
soil   and  climate  for  garden-products,  and  at  many  of  them 


10  ALASKA.  * 

gave  bogs  aud  cattle  a  trial,  with  a  deep  interest  in  the  success- 
of  their  experiments.  The  Eussian  American  Company  in  re- 
tiring from  the  country  gave  us  a  generally  correct  map  of  the 
Territory,  accurate  figures  as  to  the  numbers  and  distribution 
of  the  natives ;  but  upon  other  points  the  most  vague  or  else 
conflicting  data,  and  in  this  condition  of  knowledge  we  took 
possession  of  the  country.  Its  true  status,  therefore,  and  real 
importance  were  simply  unknown  to  our  people. 

Since  that  time,  however,  quite  a  number  of  adventurers, 
traders,  miners,  fishermen,  and  the  like  have  had  their  atten- 
tion and  interest  centered  here,  and  the  resources  of  the  country 
in  small  sections  have  been  keenly  scrutinized  with  a  view  to 
what  the  country  could  or  could  not  yield  in  supply  of  human 
wants. 

THE  DIVERSIFIED   CHARACTER   OF   THE   COUNTRY. 

Everybody  is  familiar  with  the  geographical  position  of 
Alaska,  with  its  extended  area  of  coast-line,  stretching  from  a 
trifle  south  of  the  55th  parallel  of  north  latitude,  above  Fort 
Simpson,  on  the  British  Columbian  Territory,  far  to  the  north- 
ward and  westward  away  into  the  Arctic  Ocean  and  above  the- 
arctic  circle;  and,  in  describing  the  character  of  this  vast  trend 
of  land,  it  should  be  divided  into  several  natural  districts,  by 
reason  of  the  local  difference  between  them. 

The  Sitl-an  district. — Startiugfrom  Portland  Canal  and  running 
north  to  Cross  Sound  aud  the  head  of  Lynn  Canal,  the  eye  glances 
over  a  range  of  country  made  up  of  hundreds  of  islands,  large 
aud  small,  and  a  bold,  mountainous  coast,  all  everywhere  rugged 
aud  abrupt  in  contour,  aud,  with  exception  of  highest  sum- 
mits, the  bills,  mountains,  and  valleys,  the  last  always  narrow 
and  winding,  are  covered  with  a  dense  jungle  of  spruce  and 
fir,  cedar  and  shrubbery,  so  thick,  dark,  and  damp,  that  it  is 
traversed  only  hj  tbe  expenditure  of  great  physical  energy, 
and  a  clear  spot,  either  on  islands  or  mainland,  where  an  acre 
of  grass  might  grow  by  itself,  as  it  does  in  tbe  little  "parks" 
far  in  the  interior,  cannot  be  found.  In  these  forest-jungles, 
especially  on  tbe  lowlands  and  always  by  tbe  water-courses, 
will  be  found  a  fair  proportion  of  ordinary  timber  of  tbe  char- 
acter above  designated.  The  spruce  and  fir,  however,  are  so 
heavily  charged  with  resin,  that  they  can  be  used  for  nothing 
but  the  roughest  work;  the  cedar  is,  however,  an  excellent  ar- 
ticle.  But  back  from  the  Coast  Kange  here,  on  which  our  bound- 


ALASKA.  1 1 

ary-line  is  dotted,  springs  up  quite  a  different  country  again, 
higher  everywhere  from  the  sea-level  by  thousands  of  feet,  dry, 
with  not  one-tenth  part  of  the  raiu-fall,  vast  rolling  plains  or  ta- 
ble-lands and  rounded  mountain-tops,  over  which  fiiehas  swept 
not  many  years  ago,  for  the  last  time,  as  it  has  frequently  done 
before,  utterly  destroying*  the  pine-forests,  leaving*  nothing  but 
the  blackened  and  bleached  trunks  ])iled  upon  and  across  one 
another  at  the  sport  of  tierce  gales  ;  and  springing  up  from  be- 
neath this  desolation  and  shutting  over  it  is  a  new  forest  of 
young"  pine  and  iioplars,  with  a  large  number  of  service-berry 
and  salal  bushes  interspersed.     The  valleys  here  widen  out, 
and  contain  large  tracts  of  excellent  ground  for  cultivation, 
with  the   significant  objection,  however,  of  being  subject  to 
frosts  so  late  in  the  spring  as  June  10,  and  so  early  in  the 
summer  as  the  20th  of  August.    This,  of  course,  excludes  the 
question  of  agricultural  utility  ;  and  although  the  grass  grows 
everywhere  here  in  the  valleys  in  the  most  luxuriant  manner, 
yet  cattle  cannot  run  out  through  the  winters,  which  are  here 
bitterly  cold;  widely  different  from  those  a  hundred  miles  only 
to  the  westward  across  the  Coast  Eange.    Here,  under  the  pow- 
erful influence  of  the  great  Pacific,  winter  is  never  anything 
but  wet  and  chilly,  seldom  ever  giving  the  people  a  week's 
skating  on  the  small  lake  back  of  Sitka.    Day  after  day  there 
are  high  winds  and  drizzling  rains,  with  breaks  in  the  leaden 
sky  showing  gleams  of  clear  blue  and  sunlight ;  and  here  the 
agriculturist  or  gardener  has  like  cause  for  discouragement, 
for  nothing  will  ripen  ;  whatever  he  plants  grows  and  enters  on 
its  stages  of  decay  without  perfecting.    It  must,  moreover,  be 
remarked  that  there  is  but  very  little  land  fit  even  for  this  un- 
satisfactory and  most  unprofitable  agriculture,  i.  e.,  i)roperly- 
drained  and  warm  soil  enough  for  the  very  hardiest  cereals. 
There  is  not  one  acre  of  such  tillable  land  to  every  ten  thou- 
sand of  the  objectionable  character  throughout  the  larger  por- 
tion of  this  area,  and  certainly  not  more  than  one  acre  to  a 
thousand  in  the  best  regions.     Grass  grows  in  small  localities 
or  areas,  wherever  it  is  not  smothered  by  forests  and  thickets, 
in  the  valleys  over  this  whole  Sitkau  district ;    its  presence, 
however,  is  not  the  rule,  but  the  exception,  so  vigorous  is  the 
growth  of  shrubbery  and  timber;  and  even  did  it  grow  in  large 
amount,  the  curing  of  hay  is  simply  impracticable.    Although 
the  winters  are  mild,  still  there  is  not  enough  ranging-ground 


1 2  ALASKA. 

to  sup])ort  herds  of  cattle  througbout  the  year  and  liave  them 
within  control. 

Mount  Saint  Ellas  district.— F^eachiug  from  Cross  Sound  to 
Prince  William's  Sound  is  a  second  and  clearly-defined  region, 
exhibiting  a  bald,  bare  sea-front,  with  scarcely  au  island  or  a 
rock  in  its  long  stretch  of  over  three  hundred  miles  ;  little  belts 
of  spruce  timber  skirt  the  lowlands  by  the  sea,  while  that  which  is 
hilly  and  mountainous  is  almost  bare ;  grass  and  berries  grow, 
however,  in  great  abuudauce.  It  is  the  most  cheerless,  but  at 
the  same  time  the  most  interesting,  portion  of  the  Territory,  not 
from  any  other  point  of  view,  however,  than  that  of  the  tourist 
or  geologist,  who  will  find  Mount  Saint  Elias  the  highest  peak  in 
North  America,  and  the  superb  mountains  of  Fairweather  and 
Cillou,  and  the  country  about  them,  covered,  for  miles  and  miles, 
with  mighty  glaciers,  a  field  of  most  instructive  interest.  An 
immense  mass  of  ice  comes  down  into  the  head  of  Lynn  Canal, 
which,  the  Indians  say,  originates  and  travels  from  Mount  Fair- 
weather  over  fifty  miles  away.  This  glacier  is  some  eight  miles 
wide  where  it  faces  the  sea  in  the  channel,  and  many  hundred 
feet  in  thickness,  perfectly  magnificent,  and  should  be  visited, 
for,  as  yet,  this  region,  like  the  most  of  our  new  Territory,  has 
not  been  trodden  by  the  foot  of  white  man,  and  seldom  even  by 
the  savage.  Its  exceptional  presentation  of  timber,  its  long 
reaches  of  rounded,  low,  barren  hills,  and  relative  scarcity  of 
both  birds  and  animals,  make  this  section  about  as  uninviting, 
on  economic  grounds,  as  any  in  the  Territory,  and  the  paucity 
of  Indian  life  within  its  limits  speaks  definitely  for  its  poverty 
as  to  game  and  fish. 

CooTc's  Inlet  district. — I  refrain  from  giving  the  reports  which 
I  received  from  this  section,  inasmuch  as  they  are  very  contra- 
dictory in  many  leading  features ;  though,  in  a  general  way,  the 
ideas  given  me  are  undoubtedly  correct.  Thej^  represent  the 
country  similar  to  Kodiak,  with  more  timber. 

The  Peninsular  and  Kodialc  Island. — This  region,  lying  between 
Iliamna  Lake  and  the  False  Pass,  between  the  head  of  the  Pen- 
insula of  Alaska  and  contiguous  islands,  is  the  most  valuable 
section  of  the  entire  Territory,  possessing  the  most  equable  cli- 
mate, especially  so  at  Kodiak,  growing  the  besc  garden-sup- 
l)lies  of  potatoes,  turnips,  ike,  the  only  place  where  hay  can  be 
made,  enough  fora  few  head  of  stock,  with  anything  likeacertain- 
ty,  from  season  to  season  f  but  the  country  comprised  in  this  dis- 
trict, which  forms  the  southern  and  western  half  of  the  Peninsula, 


ALASKA.  13 

does  not  possess  any  of  tbe  above-mentioned  qualifications  in  the 
same  degree  by  any  means.    The  island  of  Kodiak  and  the  whole 
district  is,  however,  rugged  and  mountainous,  with  numerous 
small  lakes  and  tiny  rivers  or  streams,  up  which  a  considerable 
number  of  salmon  run  every  year.     Timber,  of  spruce  and  fir, 
grows  in  fair  quantity  in  the  northern  and  eastern  end  of  Ko- 
diak, all  the  islands  to  the  eastward,  and  down  the  Peninsula 
as  far  as  Chignik  Bay  ;  it  is  not  large,  but  in  size  for  fuel,  rough 
building,  »S:c.     Grass  grows  most  luxuriantly,  especially  on  Ko- 
diak, but  the  area  suitable  for  its  support  is  limited,  there  be- 
ing no  i)lains  or  dry  and  accessible  valleys  in  which  to  cut  and 
cure  it.     There  are  many  winters  here  in  which  cattle  might 
be  kept  in  small  numbers  without  exceptional  care  and  expense, 
i.  e.,  enough  to  afford  milk  and  beef  for  a  small  settlement,  and 
also  sheep  and  hogs.    Little  patches  of  land  can  be  found 
where  a  small  garden  will  thriveconsistingof  potatoes,  turnips, 
&c.  5  but  reaching  down  to  the  Aleutian  Islands,  and  over  them, 
is  a  region  bare  entirely  of  timber  and  nearly  so  of  shrubbery, 
rugged,  abrupt,  and  extremely  mountainous,  the  surface  broken 
into  patches  set,  as  it  were,  on  end  j  this  is  no  country  adapted 
for  agriculture,  for  the  prevalence  of  foggy,  dark  weather  would 
render  even  the  limited  area  that  could  be  utilized  with  sun- 
light unserviceable  for  the  production  of  fruits  and  vegetables. 
Soil  there  is  suflBciently  rich  and  deep,  but  it  is  too  cold  to  ma- 
ture or  ripen  garden-products,  except  in  very  favored  locali- 
ties where,  as  at  Ounalashka,  a  few  potatoes  of  inferior  quality, 
good  turnips,  and  lettuce,  are  in  the  favorable  seasons  raised. 
The  Western  Islands  are  all  essentially  volcanic,  with  scarcely  a 
trace  of  sedimentary  rock   to  be  found;    consisting  of  high, 
steep  ridges  and  jieaks  of  porphyries  and  volcanic  tufa,  with 
here  and  there  syeuitic  granites.    The  vegetation,  such  as  it  is, 
principally  Empetrum  nigrum,  grows  most  rank  and  luxuriant 
on  the  flanks  and  even  the  summits  of  many  of  these  high 
places,  and  the  light,  frail  stems  of  this  plant,  which  are  of  about 
the  size  of  strawberry-vines,  the  natives  gather  and  bring  down 
from  the  hills  in  large  bundles  for  fire-wood.  The  only  shrub  that 
lifts  its  head  above  the  earth,  of  value  as  wood,  is  a  willow,  (Salix 
reticulata,)  which  grows  in  scattered  clumps  along  the  little  water- 
courses, twisted  and  contorted,  yet  of  sufficient  size  to  furnish 
in  early  days  strong  and  serviceable  frames  for  native  skin- 
boats  or  "  baidars."     Scattered  over  the  Aleutian  Islands  and 
on  the  Peninsula  are  many'  small  lakes,  some  of  them   quite 


14  ALASKA. 

large.  The  Peninsular  country  is  more  rolling  and  level,  on 
the  north  shore  especialh'  so  ;  for  from  Port  MoUer  on  up  to  the 
head  of  Bristol  Bay  extensive  flats  make  out  from  the  high- 
lands and  stretch  between  them  and  the  sea  in  width  varying 
from  ten  to  sixty  miles. 

There  are  a  number  of  volcanoes  in  this  district,  such  as  that 
of  Makooshin,  on  Ounalashka  Island,  Akootan  and  Shishaldiu, 
on  Oonimak,  which,  however,  do  not  eject  lava,  but  emit  smoke, 
steam,  and  ashes,  although  in  times  past  and  within  the  memory 
of  man  large  stones  have  been  thrown  out  by  many  of  them, 
and  still  earlier  lavahas  been  poured  out  on  Oonimak  in  immense 
streams.  The  seared,  rugged  courses  of  the  once  liquid  rock 
make  traveling  on  that  island  excessively  fatiguing.  Akootan, 
on  Akootan  Island,  and  Makooshin  are,  perhaps,  the  most  active, 
or  as  lively  as  anj-  in  the  Territory  to-day.  There  has  been  no 
disturbance  on  their  account  in  the  country  for  the  last  thirty 
years  to  mention,  but  previous  to  that  time  many  severe  earth- 
quake shocks  have  been  recorded,  and  the  growth  of  a  new 
island,  JBogaslov,  twenty  miles  north  of  Oomnak,  in  Bering 
Sea,  has  been  witnessed  by  the  present  generation,  and  I  think 
that  the  phenomena  attending  the  appearance  of  this  island  far 
out  at  sea  and  alone  must  have  been  coincident  with  the  whole 
history  of  the  formation  of  the  Aleutian  Chain,  and  therefore  I 
may  be  excused  for  giving  the  substance  of  the  story  as  told  by 
several  of  the  Russian  writers. 

In  the  fall  of  179G  the  residents  of  Oonimak  and  Ounalashka 
were  surprised  by  a  series  of  loud  reports  and  tremblings  of 
the  earth,  followed  by  the  appearance  of  a  dense  dark  cloud, 
full  of  gas  and  ashes,  which  came  down  upon  them  from  the 
sea  to  the  northward,  and,  after  a  week  or  ten  days,  during 
which  time  the  cloud  hung  steadily  over  them,  accompanied 
with  earthquakes  and  subterranean  thunder,  it  cleared  away 
somewhat,  so  that  they  saw  distinctly  to  the  northward  a  bright 
light  burning  above  the  sea,  and,  upon  closer  inspection  in  their 
boats,  the  people  found  that  a  sniall  island,  elevated  about  100 
feet  above  sea-level,  had  been  forced  up  and  was  still  in  the  pro- 
cess of  elevation  and  enlargement,  formed  of  lava  and  scoriae. 
The  volcanic  action  did  not  cease  on  this  island  until  1S25,  when 
it  left  above  the  water  an  oval  peak,  almost  inaccessible,  400  to 
500  feet  high,  and  four  or  five  miles  in  circumference.  It  was 
soon  after  this  occupied  by  sea-lions  and  resorted  to  by  sea-fowl. 


ALASKA.  15 

whicU  were  found  here  ii)  1825,  when  tbe  Russians  lauded  for 
tlie  first  time,  and  the  rocks  were  still  warm. 

';In  tbis  way  aud  recently,  geologically  speaking,  were  tbe 
Aleutian  Islands  formed  from  tbe  Peninsula  westward,  includ- 
ing tbe  Prybilov  Group  and  Saint  3Iattbew's,  tbeir  appearance 
marking  tbe  course  of  a  line  of  least  resistance  in  the  earth's 
crust. 

The  Yulxon  District. — In  tbis  division  may  be  placed  all  that 
countrj'  above  tbe  bead  of  Bristol  Bay  aud  north  and  west  of 
the  Peninsular  Bauge  of  mountains  as  they  extend  far  into  tbe 
interior,  reaching  to  the  arctic  and  far  beyond,  an  immense  area 
of  desolate  sameness,  almost  unknown,  and  likely  to  be  so  for 
an  indefinite  time,  the  banks  of  tbe  Yukon  Eiver  being  the 
only  track  traversed  as  yet  by  white  men  into  the  interior. 
This  great  range  of  country  may  jiroperly  be  divided  into  two 
sections,  the  bills  or  timber-lands  and  tbe  plains  or  tundra.  Tbe 
former  seldom  approach  the  waters  of  Bering  or  the  Arctic  Rea 
nearer  than  fifty  or  sixty  miles,  and  generally  trend  some  two  to 
three  hundred  miles  back.  Tbe  general  contourof  the  interior 
is  a  vast  undulating  plain,  with  high,  rounded  granitic  hills  aud 
ridges  scattered  here  and  there,  on  the  flanks  of  which,  and  by 
the  countless  lakes  aud  water-courses,  grow  in  tolerable  abun- 
dance spruce,  fir,  hemlock,  birch,  and  poi)lar,  with  a  large  number 
of  hardy  shrubs  indigenous  all  the  world  over  to  these  latitudes. 
The  summers  short,  but  warm  and  pleasant  j  the  winters  long, 
and  bitter]^'  cold  aud  inclement. 

The  tundra,  however,  which  fronts  the  whole  coast-line  of 
this,  the  most  extensive  section  of  tbe  Territory,  is,  indeed, 
cheerless  and  repelhint  at  any  season  ;  in  the  summer  it  is  a 
great  flat  swale,  full  of  bog-holes,  slimy,  decayed  peat,  innumer- 
able lakes,  shallow,  stagnant,  aud  from  all  places  swarm  mos- 
quitoes of  the  most  malignant  typ?,  while  in  winter  it  is  a  wide 
snow  plain,  over  which  fierce  gales  of  wind,  at  zero  tempera- 
ture, sweep  in  constant  succession,  making  travel  as  painful 
and  dangerous  as  can  be  well  imagined.  In  this  season  all  ap- 
proach to  tbe  coast  is  barred  by  a  great  system  of  shoals  and 
banks,  which  extend  so  far  out  to  sea  that  a  vessel  drawing  10 
feet  of  water  will  be  hard  aground,  out  of  sight  of  land,  ofl'  tbe 
mouth  of  the  Yukon. 

There  is  a  vast  area  of  tbis  district  between  the  head  of 
Cook's  Inlet  and  tbe  Arctic,  and  far  back  into  the  interior,  that 
is  entirely  unknown,  but  as  traders  are  extending  their  routes 
in  all  directions,  this  interior  may  in  time  be  explored  aud  noted. 


1 6  ALASKA. 

The  Ounahoihl-a  District. — Under  this  head  may  be  phicedtho 
Aleutian  Islands ;  and  as  Illolook  or  Ounalashka  Village  is 
the  most  important  place  among  them,  both  with  regard  to 
population  and  trade,  and  the  best  position  as  a  port,  its  name 
may  be  fitly  applied  to  the  whole  region. 

This  great  cliaiu  of  rugged  islands,  enveloped  during  the 
greater  part  of  the  year  in  fogs,  and  swept  over  by  frequent 
gales,  that,  in  combination  with  the  mists  and  currents,  make 
it  a  region  dreaded  by  the  mariner,  abounds  in  sharp  hills,  and 
hilly  or  bluffy  mountainous  masses.  Nearly  every  island — and 
there  are  many,  small  and  large — is  as  it  were  set  up  on  end^ 
with  small  patches  of  bottom-laud  here  and  there,  in  rare  Inter- 
vals, at  the  base  of  the  hills  and  mountains. 

The  appearance  of  any  of  these  islands  from  a  ship  approach- 
ing them  during  the  summer,  on  a  clear  sunny  day — and  such 
days  are  occasionally  known — is  most  attractive:  a  rich,  dark 
coat  of  vivid  greeu  clothes  the  valleys,  hills,  and  mountains, 
quite  to  the  snow-line.  In  these  narrow  defiles  and  bot- 
tom-land patches,  the  grass  is  most  luxuriant,  growing  w^aist- 
high,  with  low,  stunted  willow-bushes  here  and  there  in  small 
quantity;  and  it  is  at  first  not  apparent,  when  one  strolls  about 
the  country  on  such  a  day,  that  it  is  utterly  worthless  as  an  ag- 
ricultural or  stock-raising  countrj^  The  mountains  principally 
consist  of  syeuitic  granites  and  porphyries,  with  sharp  sum- 
mits and  abrupt  slopes,  and  present  numerous  small  water- 
courses, with  little  or  no  valley-ground.  The  vegetation  is  rank 
and  luxuriant,  and,  in  favorable  seasons,  the  grasses  ripen  their 
seeds  well.  Quite  a  variety  of  berries  abound  ;  for  exami^le, 
salmon,  huckle,  crow,  and  blue  berries.  -The  only  timber  is  a 
slight  willow,  nowhere  larger  than  a  man's  wrist,  and  not  over 
7  or  8  feet  high,  growing  in  small,  scattered  clumps,  with 
stunted  specimens  climbing  way  up  the  hill-sides.  The  thick, 
dense  carpet  of  crow-berry  plants,  into  which  one  sinks  at  every 
step  ankle-deep,  covers  the  entire  country-,  and  makes  traveling 
very  tedious  for  a  pedestrian.  Several  species  of  grass  grow 
everywhere  in  patches,  and  if  more  sunlight  were  to  fall  upon 
these  cold,  moist  places,  where  vegetation  now  springs  up  every 
year  in  such  quantities,  but  of  such  inferior  quality,  hay  might 
be  cured,  and  it  might  be  called  a  fair  grazing-country ;  but  al- 
though the  islands  would  amply  support  herds  of  cattle  and 
flocks  of  sheep  during  the  summer-months,  these  animals 
would  generally  need  shelter  and  feed  for  three  to  five  months 


ALASKA.  17 

as  winter  comes  on,  and  far  into  the  spring  during-  late  seasons, 
wlien  liigh  winds  rage  and  keep  the  snow  in  drifts.  Bitiley 
might  also  be  grown  with  a  little  more  sunlight ;  and  potatoes 
might  also  be  matured  year  after  year  in  fair  quantity,  and  a 
good  kitchen-garden  established  in  the  most  favored  sections ; 
but  perpetual  fogs  and  mists  hang  like  j^alls  over  the  land  and 
render  it  of  no  agricultural  importance. 

The  summers  are  mild,  foggy,  and  humid,  with  an  average 
temperature  of  50°  Fahrenheit,  with  winters  also  mild,  foggy, 
and  humid,  and  an  average  temperature  of  30°.  Minimum 
thermometer  here  seldom  or  never  falls  lower  than  10°  ;  there 
never  has  been  recorded  four  consecutive  weeks  of  temperature 
lower  than  3°  or  5°.  The  weather  begins  to  grow  colder  in 
October,  and  does  not  become  milder  until  xVpril.  The  natives 
here  think  that  12°  to  15°  is  pleasant  weather,  but  if  it  goes 
down  to  3°  or  5°,  it  is  to  them,  horribly  cold.  There  are,  how- 
ever, exceptional  seasons.  For  instance,  the  summer  of  1831,  in 
July  and  August  the  thermometer  did  not  rise  above  35°,  and 
evenings  were  not  uncommon  with  as  low  a  temperature  as  12°. 

Eain  falls  at  all  times  and  with  all  winds,  but  mostly  in  the 
autumn,  with  southeast  and  easterly  winds,  and  less  with 
southwest  winds  in  winter. 

Snow  begins  to  fall  in  September,  (and  even  in  August,)  and 
does  not  cease  earlier  than  May,  although  it  frequently  melts 
as  fast  as  it  falls  far  into  December.  It  is  seen  on  the  higher 
mountains  all  the  year  round.  The  average  snow-fall  is  from 
2  to  5  feet;  the  high,  driving  winds  make  the  snow  intensely 
disagreeable  and  impede  traveling. 

The  cloudiness  of  the  district  is  remarkable ;  there  are  not  a 
dozen  cloudless  days  in  the  whole  year;  about  thirty' to  fifty 
fine  days ;  and  Veniaminov  says,  after  living  there  ten  years, 
"  that  the  sun  may  he  seen  in  a  hundred  to  a  hundred  and  sixty 
days  during  the  year." 

Thunder  is  seldom  ever  heard,  and  lightning  never  seen ; 
although  the  clouds  seem  to  constantly  suggest  it.  Auroras 
are  also  almost  unknown,  and  when  seen  are  very  faint. 

The  old  Aleuts  here  say  that  in  early  times  the  snow  was 
deeper  and  the  cold  greater  than  it  has  been  for  some  time 
past,  while,  on  the  other  hand,  they  assert  that  the  winds  are 
getting  stronger  and  harsher  as  time  rolls  on  with  them.    Veni- 

2  AL 


18  ALASKA. 

aniinov*  says,  "In  all  the  time  of  my  living  here  there  uas 
not  one  day  from  morning  to  evening  that  was  entirely  with- 
out wind,  or  was  a  perfect  calm."  The  winds  blow  hero  strong 
from  all  quarters,  strongest  in  October,  i!^ovember,  December, 
and  ]\Iarch.  The  gales  do  not  usually  last  more  than  three  days 
at  a  time,  but  they  follow  in  quick  succession  in  the  seasons 
above  mentioned. 

There  are  a  multitude  of  little  lakes  of  fresh  water  on  the 
islands,  and  in  nearly  all  of  the  small  streams  (for  there  are  no 
large  ones)  are  found  brook- trout  of  good  quality. 

In  view  of  the  foregoing,  what  shall  we  say  of  the  resources 
of  Alaska,  viewed  as  regards  its  agricultural  or  horticultural 
capabilities  ? 

It  would  seem  undeniable  that  owing  to  the  unfavorable  cli- 
matic conditions  which  prevail  on  the  coast  and  in  the  interior, 
the  gloomy  fogs  and  dampness  of  the  former,  and  the  intense, 
protracted  severity  of  the  winters,  characteristic  of  the  latter, 
unfit  the  Territory  for  the  proper  support  of  any  considerable 
civilization. 

Men  may,  and  undoubtedly  will,  soon  live  here,  in  compara- 
tive comfort,  as  they  labor  in  mining-camps,  lumber  and  ship- 
timber  mills,  and  salmon-factories,  but  they  will  bring  with 
them  everything  they  want  except  fish  and  game,  and  when 
they  leave  the  country  it  will  be  as  desolate  as  they  found  it. 

Can  a  country  be  permanently  and  prosperously  settled  that 
will  not  in  its  whole  extent  allow  the  successful  growth  and 
ripening  of  a  single  crop  of  corn,  wheat,  or  potatoes,  and  where 
the  most  needful  of  any  domestic  animals  cannot  be  kept  by 
poor  people  ? 

The  Kussians,  who  have  subdued  a  rougher  country,  and  set- 
tled in  large  communities  under  severer  conditions  than  have 
been  submitted  to  by  anj'  body  of  our  own  people  as  yet,  were 
in  this  Territory,  after  some  twenty  years  at  least  of  patient, 
intelligent  trial,  obliged  to  send  a  colony  to  California  to  raise 
their  potatoes,  grain,  and  beef;  the  history  of  their  settlement 
there,  and  forced  abandonment  in  1842,  is  well  known. 

We  may  with  pride  refer  to  the  rugged  work  of  settlement 
so  successfully  made  by  our  ancestors  in  New  England,  but  it 
is  idle  to  talk  of  the  subjugation  of  Alaska  as  a  task  simply  re- 
quiring a  similar  expenditure  of  persistence,  energy,  aud  ability. 

*  Zapieskie,  &c.,  vol.  1,  p.  98. 


ALASKA.  19 

In  MassacLusetts*  our  forefatbers  had  a  land  in  tchlch  all  the 
necessaries  of  life,  and  many  of  the  luxuries,  could  be  x>^oduced 
from  the  soil  ivith  certainty  from  year  to  year;  in  Alaska  their 
lot  would  have  been  quite  the  reverse,  and  they  could  have  main- 
tained themselves  therewith  no  better  success  than  the  present 
inhabitants.  Attention  should  be  directed  to  the  development 
of  its  mineral  wealth,  which  I  have  reason  to  think  will  yet 
prove  to  be  considerable,  and  effort  should  be  made  to  stimu- 
late and  protect  the  present  available  industries  of  the  fur- 
trade,  the  canning  of  salmon,  &c. 

*"I  bave  seen  with  surprise  and  regret,  that  men  whose  forefathers 
■wielded  the  ax  in  the  forests  of  Maine,  or  gathered  scanty  crops  on  the  hill- 
sides of  Massachusetts,  have  seen  fit  to  throw  contempt  and  derision  on  the 
acquisition  of  a  great  territory  naturally  far  richer  than  that  in  which 
they  themselves  originated,  (!)  principally  on  the  grovmd  that  it  is  a  '  cold' 
country."  (W.  H.  Dall,  Alaska  and  its  Eesources,  p.  242,  Boston,  Lee  & 
iShepard,  1870.) 


CHAPTER    II. 

THE    NATIVES     OR     PEOPLE    OF    ALASKA— THEIR 

CONDITION. 

THEIR  LIFE  IX   THE  PAST,  IN   THE   PRESENT,  AJJD   PROSPECTS 

FOR   THE  FUTURE. 

In  taking  tbe  subject  of  the  condition  of  the  people  of  Alaska 
into  consideration,  tbe  character  of  tbe  country  in  wbicb  tbey 
live  should  always  be  kept  in  mind,  for  tbe  life  of  any  people 
is  inseusiblj'  but  surely  molded  by  tbe  climate  aud  land  in 
■u-bicb  they  are  found  :  under  favorable  and  genial  influences 
of  soil  and  climate,  a  rude  race  may  be  raised  from  barbarism, 
pass  into  civilization,  and  be  sustained  by  these  favoriug  sup- 
ports. 

The  inhabitants  of  the  Territory  are  divided  into  two  decidedly 
distinct  races,  widely  different  in  habits  and  disposition  ;  one  of 
these  two  classes  consists  of  the  Christian  Aleuts,  who  live 
upon  the  Aleutian  Islands,  the  Seal  Islands,  the  Peninsula  of 
Alaska,  the  adjacent  Islands,  and  Kodiak ;  the  Indians,  occui)y- 
ing  all  the  rest  of  the  inhabited  country,  constitute  the  other.  It 
will  be  seen  by  a  Russian  table  which  I  submit  in  connection 
with  this  subject  that  quite  a  large  number,  in  18G3,  of  the 
natives,  outside  of  the  district  above  specified,  are  claimed  as 
Christians,  but  I  cannot  recognize  the  claim  to-day ;  they  have 
worn  off  what  little  Christianity  they  may  have  possessed  ten 
years  ago,  and  there  is  no  Christian  iuliueuce,  properly  speaking, 
in  the  Territory,  outside  of  the  Aleutians  and  the  people  of 
Kodiak ;  these  people  are  naturally  fitted  for  the  reception  of 
the  x^rinciples  of  Christianity,  or  otherwise  they  would  have 
remained  Indians,  as  the  others,  who  are  savages,  have  done. 
The  Russian  Greek  Catholic  priests  spared  no  effort  iu  their 
attempts  to  convert  the  Koloshians  of  Sitka  and  those  of 
kindred  stock  elsewhere  in  the  Territory,  but  met  with  partial 
failure  in  every  iust.ance. 

The  fact  that  among  all  the  savage  races  found  on  the  north- 
west coast  by  Christian  pioneers  and  teachers  the  Aleutians 
are  the  only  practical  converts  to  Christianity,  goes  far,  in  my 


ALASKA..  21 

opinion,  to  set  them  apart  as  very  differently  constituted  in. 
mind  and  disposition  from  our  aborigines,  to  whom,  howev^er, 
they  are  intimately  allied.  They  adopted  the  Christian  faith 
with  very  little  opposition,  readily  exchanging  their  barbarous 
customs  and  wild  superstidous  for  the  agreeable  rites  of  the 
Greek  Catholic  Church  and  its  more  reliucd  myths  and  legends. 
At  the  time  of  their  first  discovery  they  were  living  as  savages 
in  every  sense  of  the  word,  bold  and  hardy ;  but  now,  to  all  out- 
ward signs  and  professions  of  Christianity  they  respond  as 
sincerely  as  our  own  church-going  people. 

The  question  as  to  the  derivation  of  these  people  is  still  a 
mooted  one  among  ethnologists  ;  in  all  points  of  personal  bear- 
ing, intelligence,  character,  as  well  as  physical  structure,  they 
seem  to  form  a  link  of  perfect  gradation  between  the  Japanese 
and  Eskimo,  although  their  traditions  and  language  are  entirely 
distinct  and  peculiar  to  themselves ;  they,  however,  claim  to 
have  come  first  to  the  Aleutian  Islands  from  a  "  big  land  to  the 
westward,"  and  that  when  thev  came  here  first  thev  found  the 
land  uninhabited,  and  that  they  did  not  meet  with  any  peo})le 
until  their  ancestors  had  pushed  on  to  the  eastward  as  far  as  the 
Peninsular  and  Kodiak. 

The  Aleuts,  as  they  appear  to-day,  have  been  so  mixed  with 
Eussian,  Koloshian,  and  Kamschadale  blood,  «S:;c.,  that  they 
Ijresent  characteristics  in  one  way  or  another  of  the  various 
races  of  men  from  the  negro  up  to  the  Caucasian.  The  pre- 
dominant features  among  them  are  small,  wide-set,  dark  eyes, 
broad  and  high  cheek-bones,  causing  the  jaw,  which  is  full  and 
square,  to  often  appear  peaked ;  coarse,  straight  black  hair, 
small,  neatly-shaped  feet  and  hands,  together  with  brownish- 
yellow  complexion.  The  men  will  average  in  stature  five  feet 
four  or  five  inches;  the  women  less  in  proportion,  although 
there  are  exceptions  among  them,  some  being  over  six  feet  in 
height,  and  others  dwarfs. 

The  number  of  these  people,  including  those  of  Kodiak,  who 
resemble  the  Aleutians  only  as  Christians,  having  no  other  luit- 
ural  or  blood  affinity,  is  about  5,000,  but  when  first  discovered 
by  the  Eussians  they  were  four  and  five  times  as  many;  at  least 
20,000  were  living  on  the  Aleutian  Islands  and  the  Peninsular  in 
17G0;  and  from  that  time,  in  obedience  to  that  natural  hiw 
which  causes  an  inferior  class  to  succumb  to  its  superior  when 
brought  into  opposition,  the  Aleuts  were  quickly  diminished  in 
number  until  it  became  an  object  of  care  and  solicitude  on  the 


22  ALASKA. 

part  of  the  Russians  to  save  them  for  the  prosecution  of  the  fur- 
trade,  lu  1834  they  numbered  only  about  4,000.  Kodiak  in- 
chided,  and  therefore  they  have  not  diminished  nor  increased 
to  any  noteworthy  degree  during  the  last  forty  years.  There 
lias  been  a  slight  increase,  if  any,  up  to  the  present  time. 

When  first  discovered  they  were  living  in  large  "  yourW''  or 
^^  oo-laga-muh''^  houses  partially  underground,  which  resemble 
very  much  such  a  structure  as  our  farmers  put  up  for  a  root- 
cellar,  with  the  diliereuce  only  of  having  the  entrance  through 
a  hole  ill  the  top,  going  in  and  out  on  a  rude  ladder  or  notched 
timber  post.  Some  of  these  yourts  were  very  large,  as  shown 
by  the  ruins  to-day ;  one  on  Oonimak  Island,  north  side,  is 
over  500  feet  in  length,  with  corresponding  width,  and  one  at 
Koshegau,  Ounalashka  Island,  the  foundations  still  standing, 
shows  that  it  was  87  yards  long  and  40  wide;  and  an  old 
woman  who  was  living  only  two  years  ago,  remembered  when 
her  people  lived  there,  and  called  it  "a  handsome  house."  In 
these  yourts  they  lived  by  forties,  fifties,  and  hundreds  as  a 
single  family,  with  the  double  object  of  protection  and  warmth, 
where  fuel  was  so  scarce  and  precious. 

For  a  full  account  of  them  as  they  existed  when  first  visited 
by  the  Russian  priests  I  can  do  no  better  than  call  attention  to 
the  history  of  their  lives  and  condition,  as  published  by  Father 
Yeniamiuov,*  a  noble  missionary,  and  who  made  good  use  of  his 
time  in  recording  faithfully  the  custom  of  a  people  which  has 
been  entirely  changed  by  Christianity  in  less  than  one  hundred 
years.  As  an  illustration,  showing  how  exceedingly  supersti- 
tious they  were  in  these  early  days,  I  may  mention  that  there 
is  a  small  stream  running  into  the  northwest  head  of  Beaver 
Bay,  Ounalashka  Island,  forming  a  very  pretty  little  water- 
fall, and  near  by  it  is  a  large  mass  of  dark  basaltic  rock ;  the 
water  of  this  creek  the  Aleuts  never  dared  to  drink  for  fear  of 
instant  death,  and  to  the  stone  they  paid  homage,  and  revered 
it  as  a  devil  petrified. 

As  they  are  living  at  this  time,  nearly  every  family  is  in 
possession  of  a  hut  or  "  harrahJcie,^^  built  partly  underground, 
walled  up  on  the  sides,  and  roofed  over  with  dirt  and  sod ;  a 
small  window  placed  at  one  end,  and  a  low  door  at  the  other, 
which  opens  into  a  low,  dark  alley,  which  in  turn  communi- 
cates with  the  living-room  by  another  small  door.     This  liviug- 

*  A  translation  is  published  in  Alaska  and  its  Resources,  W.  H.  Dall :  Lee 
&.  Sbepard,  1870. 


ALASKA.  23 

room  is  not  large,  seldom  over  tea  feet  square,  and  often  not 
more  than  seven  or  eight,  witli  a  hard  earthen  or  wooden  floor; 
the  walls  are  neatly  boarded  up  and  sometimes  papered  and  em- 
bellislied  with  pictures  of  cliurch  saints.  lu  this  room  the  Aleut 
spends  most  of  his  time  when  not  hunting;  shuts  himself  up 
in  it  with  his  family,  builds  a  hot  fire,  lasting  only  a  few 
minutes,  in  the  little  stove  or  Kussian  oven,  and  either  drinks 
cup  after  cup  of  tea,  or  stupefies  himself  with  "(/i<«ss"  or 
native  beer,  aud  lies  for  hours,  and  days  even,  in  dull,  stupid 
enjoyment  on  his  pallet.  I  have  looked  into  a  barrabkie  where 
there  were  twenty  men,  women,  and  children  packed  into  a 
living-room  not  more  than  ten  feet  square,  all  drinking  tea, 
with  the  perspiration  rolling  down  in  beady  streams  from 
every  face.  Many  of  these  huts  are  damp  aud  exceedingly 
filthy,  while  others  are  dry  and  cleanly ;  but  the  temper  and 
disposition  of  the  Aleuts  is  that  of  improvidence  and  shiftless- 
ness,  and  all  exist,  with  a  few  excei)tious,  as  a  matter  of  course, 
in  a  state  of  ignorance,  though  a  great  many  read  and  write, 
in  consequence  of  their  relationship  to  the  church,  the  services 
of  which  are  recited  in  the  Russian  tongue,  and  as  most  of  the 
subpriests,  deacons,  &c.,  are  recruited  from  the  ranks  of  the 
people  themselves,  (the  boys  only  being  educated  for  this  ]»ur- 
pose.)  a  large  proportion  of  them  speak  and  read  Kussiau  well 
enough  for  all  ordinary  use. 

The  manners  and  customs  of  these  people,  to-day,  possess 
in  themselves  nothing  of  a  barbarous  or  remarkable  character, 
aside  from  that  which  belongs  to  a  state  of  advanced  semi- 
civilization.  They  are  exceedingly  polite  and  civil,  not  only  to 
their  trading  agents,  but  among  themselves,  and  visit  one  with 
another  freely  and  pleasantly,  the  women  being  great  gossips ; 
but,  on  the  whole,  their  intercourse  is  very  quiet  indeed,  for  the 
topics  of  conversation  are  few,  and,  judging  from  their  silent 
but  unconstrained  meetings,  they  seem  to  have  a  mutual  knowl- 
edge, as  if  by  sympathy,  as  to  what  may  be  occupying  each 
other's  minds,  rendering  speech  superfluous.  It  is  only  when 
under  the  influence  of  beer  or  liquor  that  they  lose  their  natu- 
rally quiet  and  amiable  disposition  and  fall  into  drunken 
orgies. 

Having  been  so  long  under  the  control  and  influence  of  the 
Kussians,  they  have  adopted  many  of  the  customs  of  the  latter, 
in  giving  birth-day  dinners,  naming  their  children,  &c.  They 
are  great  tea-drinkers,  but  seldom  use  coffee.      On  account 


24  ALASKA. 

of  scarcity  of  fiu4,  they  use  a  j?reat  ainoaut  of  bard  bread,  soda 
and  sweet  crackers,  instead  of  buying  flour  and  baking  it. 

Tliey  are  remarkably  attached  to  tlieir  church,  which  is  well 
adapted  to  them,  and  no  other  form  of  religion  could  be  better 
or  have  a  firmer  hold  upon  the  sensibilities  of  the  people. 
Their  chastity  and  sobriety  cannot  be  commended. 

As  parents,  they  are  very  indulgent  while  their  children  are 
infants  or  under  the  age  of  eight  or  nine  years,  but  when  this  age 
is  attained  by  their  oflspriug  they  become  harsh  disciplinarians 
and  task-masters,  putting  burdens  upon  young  shoulders  that  are 
heavy  enough  for  adults,  always  exacting  implicit  obedience. 
Though  many  children  are  born,  the  mothers  are  not  successful  in 
rearing  them,  for  they  are  extremely  negligent  in  regard  to  air 
and  diet,  irregular  in  their  meals  and  slumbers,  shiftless  and  un- 
clean, and  they  frequently  indulge  in  intoxication  while  nurs- 
ing their  infants.  These  vices  cause  an  excessive  mortality 
among  the  children.  The  Aleuts  are  dependent  entirely  upon 
themselves,  except  at  the  Seal  Islands,  for  relief  and  aid  in 
case  of  illness,  yielding  themselves  to  such  treatment  as  they 
can  get  with  the  utmost  patience  and  resignation.  They  believe 
generally  in  a  mild  form  of  Shamanism,  or  in  the  laying  on  of 
hands,  which  is  practiced  usually  by  old  women. 

The  average  Aleut  is  a  bold,  hardy  trapper,  as  he  must  be  to 
be  successful  as  a  sea-otter  hunter,  and  this  is  the  only  profes- 
sion or  calling  that  his  country  can  offer  him.  He  is  a  patient, 
steady  workman,  and  supplies  as  good  manual  labor  as  could 
be  desired,  and  such  as  is  required  in  the  country.  The  Itussians 
made  sailors,  navigators,  carpenters,  blacksmiths,  store-keepers, 
&c.,  of  this  race ;  but  since  the  transfer  of  the  Territory  there 
are  too  many  of  our  own  people  of  that  class  idle  for  the  Aleuts 
to  compete  with,  and  who  come  directly  into  the  country  in  re- 
si)onse  to  any  demand  for  such  labor,  so  that  he  talis  back  upon 
the  sea-otter  as  his  sole  support  against  a  relapse  into  barbar- 
ism. Competition  in  this  business  he  has  no  occasion  to  fcar 
from  the  white  man,  who  would  never  consent  to  spend  the 
same  amount  of  skill  and  energy  for  the  returns  which  satisfy 
the  Aleutian  hunter. 

It  will  therefore  be  evident  that  the  good  condition  of  the  na- 
tive hunters  of  this  Territory  is  a  matter  of  great  importance 
to  the  traders  who  have  any  deep  interest  in  the  fur-trade  ;  and 
it  is  not  remarkable,  in  view  of  the  clearness  of  the  case,  as  above 
stated,  that  the  Aleuts  to-day  are  existing  in  greater  comfort, 


ALASKA.  25 

iu  better  bouses,  witb  greater  facibties  for  bunting,  and  receive 
better  pay  tbau  tbey  ever  reabzed  before  for  tbeir  skins.  Of 
tbis  I  am  confident,  by  personal  observation  of  tbe  present,  and 
from  a  knowledge  of  tbe  past  derived  from  tbe  archives  of  tbe 
Eussian  company,  and  tbe  bistory,  meager  but  true,  of  tbe 
early  traders  in  tbe  country.  Tbe  enligbtened  and  true  business 
policy  adopted  by  tbe  agents  of  tbe  Alaska  Commercial  Com- 
pany witb  regard  to  tbe  improvement  of  tbe  condition  of  tbe 
bunters  of  tbe  Aleutian  Islands  bas  already  begun  to  bear  its 
golden  fruit  in  an  immensely-increased  yield  of  sea-otters  every 
year.  Tliis  statement  is  fully  corroborated  by  a  person  of  all 
men  in  tbe  whole  country  best  qualified  to  pass  an  independent 
and  correct  opinion,  Fatber  Innocent  Sbiesnekov,  an  intelli- 
gent and  pious  Greek  Catbolic  priest,  in  charge  of  tbe  Aleu- 
tians, who  was  born  and  raised  on  tbe  ground,  and  witb  wbom 
I  bave  had  several  interviews  bearing  upon  tbe  subject  of  tbis 
chapter. 

There  is  one  general  evil,  not  confined  to  tbis  section  of  tbe 
Territory,  but  more  injurious  to  tbe  people  bere  than  elsewhere, 
and  tbat  is  tbe  curse  of  beer  drinking  and  tbe  disorders  wbicb 
arise  constantly  from  its  effects.     These  people  bave  an  inordi- 
nate fondness  for  spirituous  liquors,  and  as  tbis  is  not  permitted 
to  be  made,  vended,  or  brought  into  tbe  Territory,  tbe  traders 
among  these  natives  keep  sucb  a  sbarp  lookout  for  wbisky- 
scbooners,  that  tbe  traffic  is  tborougblj^  suppressed  among  tbe 
Aleutians;  and  tbe  people,  tberefore,  determined  to  bave  some 
means  of  ministering  to  tbeir  craving  appetites  for  strong  drink, 
brew  a  thick,  sour,  alcobolic  beer,  by  fermenting  sugar,  bops,  i 
flour,  dried  apples,  &c.,  together,  in  certain  proportions,  witb  j 
water,  and  many  of  them  manage  to  keep  intoxicated  and  stu-  > 
pefled  for  weeks,  and  even  montbs,  at  a  time ;  beating  tbeir 
wives  and  cbildreu,  destroying  their  bouses,  and  recently,  on 
several  occasions,  committing  murder.    Tbis  practice  uiakes 
every  one  of  the  settlements  at  frequent  intervals,  and  always 
after  tbe  return  of  a  successful  bunting-party,  a  scene  of  la- 
mentable debauchery,  wbicb  can  only  be  stopped  either  by  pro- 
bibitiug  tbe  sale  or  importation  of  sugar  into  tbe  Territory,  or 
by  empowering  Government  agents  to  inflict  sumiuary  punisb- 
ment  for  tbe  least  criminal  oftenses  growing  out  of  intoxication. 
^0  great  severity  in  the  punisbment  would  be  required,  for  it 
must  be  said,  to  their  credit,  that  tbey  are  naturally  a  law-abiding 


26  ALASKA. 

people,  and  the  mere  presence  of  an  officer  is,  with  fe<v  excep- 
tious,  enough  to  secure  obedience. 

For  the  present  demoralization  among  the  natives  of  the  Ter- 
ritory in  this  respect  (and  it  is  a  vital  one)  the  Government 
alone  is  responsible.  The  people,  duriug  the  last  lour  or  five 
years,  have  indulged  in  all  manner  of  excesses  while  under  the 
influence  of  beer,  and  have  observed  that,  do  what  they  will, 
from  beating  their  wives  up  to  cold-blooded  murder,  there  is 
no  authority  in  the  land  to  punish  them  ;  and  this  knowledge 
tends  to  continue  this  unhappy  state  of  affairs.  This  laxity  is 
an  injustice  toward  the  orderly  and  more  soberly-inclinetl  por- 
tion of  the  communities,  subjecting  them  to  the  control  of  the 
leaders  of  drunken  revels  and  toan  immense  amount  of  unneces- 
sary suffering.  The  sea-otter  traders  would  gladly  pay,  in  the 
form  of  a  slight  tax  on  the  skins  of  that  animal,  more  than 
enough  to  afford  a  liberal  salary  twice  over  for  the  services  of 
some  man  armed  with  authority  to  suppress  this  demoralization 
and  attend  to  other  urgent  matters  neglected  on  the  part  of  the 
Government. 

From  the  Aleuts  we  pass  to  the  consideration  of  the  rest  of 
the  people  (Indians)  of  the  Territory,  who,  by  far  the  most 
numerous,  are  living  now  as  the}'  were  when  first  discovered, 
over  a  hundred  years  ago;  those  of  the  north,  belonging  to  the 
Eskimo  race  and  immediate  derivatives,  are  quite  amiable  in 
their  barbarism  when  compared  with  the  Koloshes  and  other 
tribes  of  Indians  proper  in  their  neighborhood.  Any  steps  that 
may  be  taken  for  the  elevation  and  improvement  of  the  condi- 
tion of  these  Indians  in  the  Territory  of  Alaska,  however  well 
intended,  would  be  entirely  abortive.  If  they  work,  and  they 
frequently  do,  on  the  coasters  as  seamen,  and  about  the  sound 
and  Victoria  as  laborers,  wood-cutters,  «&c.,  the  money  neces- 
sary for  a  debauch  or  a  gambling  game  is  the  incentive.  The 
condition  of  any  savage  people  is  one  that  arouses  the  sympathy 
of  benevolent  minds,  and  for  its  amelioration  has  absorbed  the 
best  energies  and  resources  of  hundreds  of  brave,  devoted  men 
who  have  labored  in  our  country,  but  the  result  of  such  labor 
can  only  be  successful  under  certain  conditions  of  life  and 
mental  constitution  of  a  savage  race  not  found  in  Alaska. 
The  Russian  priests  energetically  struggled  with  these  Indians 
of  Alaska,  from  Bering's  Straits  down  to  Queen  Charlotte's 
Island,  backed  up  and  cordially  aided  by  the  Russian- American 
Company,  which  hoped  to  gain  more  control  over  the  natives, 


ALASKA.  27 

(and  would  have  done  so  had  the  missionaries  sncceeded,)  but 
the  result  was  most  unsatisfactory.  A  thin  varnish  of  decency-, 
honesty,  morality,  &c.,  was  put  on,  but  the  subject  had  to  be 
revarnished  every  day  or  his  evil  nature  would  continue  to 
shine  out. 

From  what  we  are  led  to  plainly  understand  by  the  history 
of  well-directed  and  persistent  eftbrts  in  the  past,  we  can  only 
consider  the  present  condition  of  the  Indians  of  Alaska  as 
that  of  savages,  and  beyond  the  power  of  the  Government  or 
of  the  church  to  change  for  the  better.  If  they  were  a  people 
living  in  a  country  favorable  to  exertion  and  were  merely  lazy 
and  ignorant,  then  there  would  be  hope  with  some  assurance  of 
success  in  effecting  a  change  for  the  better,  but  the  case  is 
worse,  for  the  obstacles  are  insuperable. 

They  are  living  in  the  manner  customary  with  all  Indians 
who  have  an  abundance  of  fish  and  game,  and  when  they  suffer 
in  any  section  of  the  Territory,  as  they  frequently  do,  for  M'aut 
of  food,  it  is  on  account  of  the  indolence  and  improvidence 
during  the  seasons  of  plenty,  for  all  of  these  people  on  the  main- 
land who,  at  regular  periods  of  the  year,  have  access  to  a  most 
lavish  profusion  of  fish  and  the  flesh  of  deer,  are  never  caught 
by  a  severe  winter  with  a  full  supply  of  provisions  on  hand, 
and  exist  through  the  long,  cold  spring-months  most  miserably, 
often  living  upon  their  skin-garments,  offal,  &^^.  As  an  instance 
of  this  improvidence,  Captain  lien  nig,  an  old  trader,  cites  the 
following  case:  At  the  mouth  of  the  Koishak  Eiver,  which 
empties  into  Bristol  Bay  between  the  Peninsula  and  the  main- 
laud,  the  reindeer  pass  by  swimming  in  large  herds  across  in 
September  as  they  go  in  feeding  to  and  from  the  peninsula;  the 
natives  at  this  season  run  along  the  bank  as  the  deer  rise  from 
the  water  and  spear  them  with  great  ease  and  in  any  number 
that  fancy  or  want  may  dictate.  At  one  time  Captain  Heunig 
counted  here  seven  hundred  deer  carcasses  as  they  lay  rotting 
and  untouched  save  by  the  removal  of  the  hides;  not  a  pound 
of  meat  of  the  thousands  putrefying  had  been  saved  by  the 
natives,  who  would  be  living  perhaps  in  less  than  five  mouths 
in  a  state  of  starvation. 

These  Indians  are  not  steady,  persistent  hunters  like  the 
Aleuts ;  they  are  fickle,  and  have  far  less  to  gain  by  trade  in 
their  estimation  than  the  Aleutians,  who,  on  the  contrary,  are 
not  satisfied  with  a  small  amount  of  tobacco  and  a  few  beads, 
which  are  the  staple  commodities  with  the  Indians,  together 


28  ALASKA. 

with  a  little  powder  and  ball.  The  Aleuts  want  good  clotbes ; 
they  desire  to  dress  their  women  and  children  well ;  they  crave 
tea,  sugar,  Hour,  &c.,  all  of  which  are  simply  despised  by  the 
savage,  and,  consequently,  a  little  hautiug  will  obtaiu  all  he 
wants  in  return  from  the  trader,  and  exertion  beyond  this,  ou 
his  part,  ai)pears  to  him  simply  absurd  or  ridiculous. 

While  the  sea-otter  trade  in  Alaska,  therefore,  is  well  devel- 
oped, the  fur-trade  on  the  mainland  is  by  no  means  of  the 
importance  it  might  be  made  to  assume  were  the  hunting  as 
energetically  followed  up  as  is  that  prosecuted  by  the  people  of 
Kodiak  and  the  Aleutian  Islands ;  the  industry  and  energy, 
howev^er,  of  ourtraders  will  undoubtedly  add  largelj^  every  suc- 
ceeding year  to  the  yield,  in  creating  desire  among  the  Indians, 
and  thus  stimulating  exertion  on  their  part  in  hunting  so  as  to 
insure  its  gratification. 

I  shall  not  enter  into  a  description  of  these  Indians.  Their 
treacherous,  indolent  lives  have  been  most  accurately  and  fully 
described  by  a  score  of  writers ;  one  of  the  earliest,  that  of 
Portlock  and  Dixon,  in  1786,  1787,  and  1788,  reads  as  if  it  had 
been  written  from  my  own  notes  taken  this  season,  so  little 
have  they  changed  in  the  main  of  habit  and  disposition.  Of 
course,  when  the  Russians  were  obliged,  in  1832,*  to  commence 
the  liquor-trade  with  them  in  self-defense  against  American 
adventurers  and  the  Hudson  Bay  Company,  and  the  small-pox 
in  1835  swept  like  wild-fire  through  all  the  villages  on  the  north- 
west coast,  destroying  nearly  one-third  of  them,  the  combination 
of  two  such  terrible  evils,  whisky  and  the  plague,  demoralized 
and  diminished  them  to  such  an  extent  that  they  never  have 
recovered  their  former  strength,  nor  is  it  now  probable  that  they 
will  recover  it. 

The  number  of  Indians  now  living  in  the  Territory  is,  accord- 
ing to  best  authority  and  my  judgment,  between  eighteen  and 
twenty  thousand.  Of  this  number,  between  ten  and  twelve 
thousand  belong  to  that  district  bounded  ou  the  north  by  Cook's 
Inlet  and  south  by  Fort  Simpson  ;  the  remainder  inhabit  that 
stretch  of  country  reaching  from  Bristol  Bay  to  Kotzebue  Sound, 
and  back  into  the  far  interior,  where  there  are  several  tribes, 
siipi>osed  to  be  quite  numerous,  about  which  very  little  is 
known  even  by  the  traders. 

On  this  coast-line  of  Alaska,  between  Bering's  Straits  and 

*Tbi8  was  stopped  ia  1842.  A  treaty  was  made  between  them  aud  the 
Hudson  Bay  Company. 


ALASKA.  29 

Fort  Simpson,  are  foniid  six  distinct  tongues  tbrougli  wbicli 
their  relations  of  afiinity  may  be  traced,  viz  :  tbe  Aleutian;  the 
Kodlalc ;  tbe  Kenai,  or  CooA'.s'  Inlet ;  tbe  YaMootat,  or  Mount 
Saint  El ias  country  ;  tbe  Sitkan;  and  thG  Kahgan,  or  Prince  of 
Wales  Island. 

The  Aleutian  tongue  is  tbe  language  of  tbe  inhabitants  of 
tbe  Aleutian  Islands  and  part  of  tbe  Peninsula ;  it  is  divided 
into  two  dialects,  one  spoken  by  tbe  Aleuts  of  Atka,  and  tbe 
other  by  those  of  Ounalasbka. 

The  KoDiAK  TONGUE  is  the  root  of  all  the  dialects  spoken 
on  tbe  shores  of  Bering  Sea,  and  still  farther  north  and  to  the 
east;  it  is  the  tongue  spoken  by  the  Clwochkie  of  the  Asiatic 
side,  and  is  divided  into  six  distinct  dialects,  and  tbese  again 
subdivided,  so  that  tbe  Kodiak  root  is  the  language  of  the  fol- 
lowing tribes : 

Tbe  Malemutes,  of  Kotzebue  Sound,  Kortoii  Sound,  Port  Clar- 
ence, tbe  Diomedes,  King,  Sledge,  and  Saint  Lawrence  Islands. 

Tbe  Aziagmutes,  of  Saint  Michael's,  part  of  tbe  Pastol  Bay 
and  as  far  north  as  Norton's  Sound. 

The  Agoolmutes,  of  tbe  moutb  of  tbe  Yukon  Kiver. 

Tbe  Magmutcs,  between  CapeEomanzov  and  Cape  Aviuov. 

The  Koslcoquims,  of  Koskoquini  Bay  and  liiver. 

Tbe  Aglahmutes,  of  tbe  Nushagak  country,  and  part  of  tbe 
Peninsula. 

The  Xunivaks,  of  Nunivak  Island,  who  use  a  dialect  almost 
like  tbe  pure  Kodiak,  which  is  spoken  on  tbat  island. 

Tbe  Kcyoukons,  of  the  Middle  Yukon  Eiver. 

Tbe  IngaleeJcs,  of  the  Lower  Yukon  Iliver. 

The  Choogaks,  between  Cape  Elizabeth  and  tbe  moutb  of 
Copper  Eiver,  (taking  all  tbe  south  shore  of  tbe  Kenai  Penin- 
sula and  Prince  William's  Sound.) 

Tbe  Kenai  tongue  can  hardly  be  called  of  Kodiak  deriva- 
tion; it  is  divided  into  four  dialects: 

The  Kenai,  of  tbe  Gulf  of  Kenai,  or  Cook's  Inlet. 

Tbe  Maidnorskie,  or  people  on  Copper  Eiver. 

Tbe  Kolchans,  or  people  of  the  Upper  Koskoquim  Eiver — 
quite  a  large  tribe,  estimated  at  six  or  seven  thousand. 

Tbe  KahvicJqyaks,  a  people  on  the  Upper  Yukon.  In  this  dia- 
lect are  many  words  of  Kodiak  and  Yahkutat. 

The  Kenai  language  is  tbe  most  difticult  of  all  tbe  Indian 
tongues,  so  abounding  in  a  profusion  of  barsh,  guttural  sounds 
that  their  own  savage  neighbors  frequently  try  in  vain  to  ac- 
quire them  when  it  is  for  their  interest  to  do  so. 


30  ALASKA. 

The  Yaukutat  tongue  is  spoken  only  by  tbe  people  of  Yali- 
kutat,  or  that  belt  of  coast  between  Lituya  Bay  and  Copper 
Eiver;  it  is  divided  into  two  dialects,  viz  : 

The  YahJciitats,  from  Icy  Bay  to  Cross  Sound. 

The  OogalensMe,  from  mouth  of  Copper  River  to  Icy  Bay. 

The  Sitka,  or  KoLOsn  tongue,  is  spoken  by  all  the  Indians 
from  Lituya  Bay  to  Prince  of  Wales  Island,  the  Stickeeu,  and 
without  any  dialects,  although  there  are  eight  or  ten  tribes,  and 
they  are  relatively  numerous. 

The  Kahegan,  or  Prince  of  Wales,  is  spoken  on  that 
island  and  Queen  Charlotte's,  and  completes  the  list  of  lan- 
guages in  the  Territory,  as  far  as  I  can  intelligently  compile 
and  arrange  them. 

From  the  tables  which  I  give  at  the  close  of  this  chapter,  the 
relative  population  of  these  difierent  tribes  can  be  recognized, 
and  by  them  it  will  be  seen  that,  save  where  the  Aleutians  and 
Kodiakers  are  living,  together  with  a  number  of  Russian  half- 
breeds  or  Creoles,  there  are  no  organized  or  fixed  settlements 
in  the  Territory;  the  Indians  roaming  at  will  in  the  mountains 
and  over  the  plains  during  the  summer,  fishing  and  berrying 
j)rincipally,  until  the  severitj' of  approaching  winter  drives  them 
back  to  underground  houses  in  the  north,  and  wooden  huts  and 
large  barracoons  by  the  sea  at  the  south,  where,  reeking  in  filth, 
four  and  five  months  are  passed  in  perfect  comfort  to  them,  pro- 
vided that  they  have  food — passed  in  sloth  and  sleep,  with  the 
exception  of  a  small  proportion  of  them  who  are  marten,  mink, 
and  fox  trappers.  These  men  frequently  perform  an  astonishing 
amount  of  labor,  enduring  incredible  hardships,  should  the^' 
happen  to  be  ambitious,  but  this  is  a  very  rare  quality. 

The  two  leading  stations  in  the  Territory,  (excepting  the  Pry- 
bilov  Islands,)  both  with  regard  to  trade  aijd  population,  are  the 
villages  of  Ounalashka  and  Kodiak,  each  with  an  Aleut  and 
Creole  population  of  four  hundred,  more  than  double  the  num- 
ber occupying  any  other  settlement,  save  that  of  Belcovskie, 
which  has  two  hundred  and  forty-eight,  with  a  sea-otter  trade 
fully  equal  or  superior  to  either  Ounalashka  or  Kodiak.  Then 
following  in  order  of  trade  and  population,  we  have  the  villages 
of  Unga,  of  one  hundred  and  sixty-two  souls;  Atka,  of  one 
hundred  and  thirty-one  souls ;  Oomnak,  of  one  hundred  and 
nineteen  souls ;  then  comes  Sitka,  with  a  population  to-day, 
principally  Russian  half-breeds,  of  one  hundred  and  eighty-six,* 
*  Not  couutiug  the  troops,  Government  eniployds,  or  Indians. 


ALASKA.  31 

aud  no  trade  wbatever  to  mention,  and  commerciallj  of  less 
importance  than  any  one  of  the  following  points,  in  addition  to 
the  list  above,  viz :  Koslioqnim,  Nusliagak,  and  Saint  jMidiael's. 
Even  shonld  trade  ever  be  re-establisbed  in  Sitka,  it  would  con- 
sist principally  of  the  fur  of  marten,  mink,  and  beaver,  with 
air-dried  deer-skins ;  but  as  matters  now  stand  in  the  Territory, 
there  is  no  future  for  Sitka ;  a  change  only  in  the  supervision  of 
the  interest  of  the  Government  in  that  district  can  benefit  it, 
or  make  it  worth  the  attention  of  a  small  trader  to  live  there. 
On  this  point  I  speak  at  length  in  my  chapter  on  the  duty  of 
the  Government  in  this  respect. 

The  sum  and  substance  of  my  investigations  with  reference 
to  the  condition  of  the  people  of  Alaska  during  the  past  season 
may  be  given  briefly  as  follows :  That  the  Indians  are  living 
as  usual,  in  nearly  the  same  number  and  in  the  same  condition 
as  when  under  Eussiau  rule,  with  the  marked  and  significant 
exception  that  they  have  been  under  no  restraint  whatever  by 
government  for  the  past  five  years,  such  as  they  were  ac- 
customed to  have  imposed  upon  them  by  the  old  rer/ime,  and 
that  this  is  rapidly  making  it  troublesome  and  dangerous  for 
small  traders  to  go  in  among  them  on  the  northwest  coast. 
Those  in  the  vicinity  of  Sitka  have  become  familiar  with  the  pro- 
cess of  distillation  of  whisky  from  molasses,  and  make  a  large 
amount  of  it  openly,  in  addition  to  what  they  get  by  illicit 
trading. 

The  Christian  Aleuts  and  Kodiakers  are  in,  if  anything,  a 
better  condition  than  at  the  time  of  the  transfer;  some  sec- 
tions, as  at  Ounalashka,  in  a  greatly  improved  state,  which  is, 
by  the  way,  promised  to  all  the  rest  in  the  course  of  a  few 
years,   if   proper,   prompt   steps  are    taken  by   Government. 
But  the  condition  of  ^the  small  population  of  Creoles,  chiefly  at 
Sitka,  is  changed  very  much  for  the  worse;  they  were  store- 
keepers, clerks',  sailors,  traders,  artisans,  &c.,  of  the  old  com- 
pany, and  there  is  no  longer  any  great  demand  for  that  labor 
in  the  country,  and  not  likely  to  be  during  their  lives,  at  least; 
they  are  unfortunate  in  not  having  the  training  or  the  energy 
to  make  good  hunters,  for  this  is  the  only  industry  the  Terri- 
tory holds  out  for  them.    To  say  that  they  are  now  in  spirit 
and  purse  poor,  is  true,  but  still  they  are  not  in  any  physical 
misery,  the  abundance  of  fish  and  game  preventing  such  a  re- 
sult.   From  my  observation  and  knowledge  of  them,  I  can  truly 
state  that  they  are  now  in  a  better  condition  in  the  Territory, 


32  ALASKA. 

living  as  they  do,  than  cliey  would  be  anywhere  else  iu  our 
coimtry,  with  an  exceptional  case,  of  course,  here  and  there,  for 
they  are  not  distinguished  by  either  energy  or  industry,  as  a 
class. 

I  have  been  assured  by  the  Russian  bishop  having  the  spirit- 
ual direction  of  affairs  in  the  Greek  Catholic  Church,  now  es- 
tablished in  the  Territory,  that  there  is  no  intention  on  the  part 
of  the  home  church  to  neglect  its  interest  there ;  that  he  is  at 
the  present  time  busily  engaged  iu  fitting  a  class  of  young 
Russians  for  the  work  of  priests  and  teachers  in  Alaska,  by 
giving  them  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  English  language  in 
addition  to  the  regular  course  of  discipline  usually  necessary 
for  his  church. 

If  «-e,  on  the  part  of  the  Government,  attempt  to  teach  them, 
we  shall  soon  have  to  feed  some  eight  or  ten  thousand  paupers. 
All  they  need  is  to  be  sustained  and  protected  in  their  hunting 
industries,  as  is  indicated  iu  the  following  chapter,  and  they 
will  take  care  of  themselves. 


..^ 


CHAPTER    III, 

THE    DUTY   OF   THE   GOVERNMENT  WITH  REGARD 
TO  THE  TERRITORY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

The  measures  which  are  now  in  force  for  the  support  of  law 
and  order  in  the  Territory-  are  entirely  inadequate  and  costing 
much  more  than  a  correct  and  efficient  system  would.  The 
case  is  a  plain  one,  and  the  facts  in  regard  to  it  are  as  follows: 

The  Territory  of  Alaska  was  received  from  the  hands  of  a 
powerful  fur-trading  organization  which  held  absolute  sway 
over  the  entire  domain,  even  to  the  life  and  death  of  the  peo- 
ple, and  which  had  governed  the  land  despotically  for  more 
than  sixty  years.  It  was  fully  ]>repared  at  any  moment  to 
carry  out  its  orders,  and  was  supported  by  a  small  fleet  of  sail 
and  steam  vessels,  and  a  regularly-organized  troop  of  employes 
and  retainers,  over  two  thousand  in  number,  i^laced  here  and 
there  throughout  the  country,  the  headquarters  beiug  at  Sitka, 
for  political  reasons. 

War  and  revenue-marine  vessels,  with  duly-authorized  officers 
and  agents,  were  sent  to  the  principal  stations,  villages,  aud 
ports,  where  tliey  ran  up  our  flag  and  louily  proclaimed  the  lact 
to  the  people,  or  natives,  that  they  were  now  free  and  independ- 
ent ;  that  no  person  or  parties  had  the  power  to  control  or  di- 
rect their  trade  in  furs,  or  any  other  matter  to  which  they  might 
turn  their  attention ;  that  crime  of  all  description,  theft,  mur- 
der, &c.,  would  be  jiromptly  dealt  with,  and  that  the  agents  of 
the  iVmerican  Government  would  visit  them  at  irregular  though 
frequent  intervals,  or  upon  call,  with  these  vessels  fully  prepared 
to  enforce  and  execute  the  law.  This  was  done  in  18G3  and  18G9. 
This  is  all  that  has  been  done,  and  to-day,  as  matters  are  con- 
ducted, the  country  is  as  far  from  control  by  our  Government 
as  though  it  were  a  foreign  laud,  the  agents  of  the  Government, 
both  military  and  civil,  being  unable  to  exercise  any  effectual 
supervision  over  the  affairs  of  the  Territory,  or  to  enforce  the 
laws. 

The  proprietj'  of  quartering  troops  in  this  Territory  may  be 
seriously  questioned ;  for  where  any  considerable  body  of  na- 
tives exist  they  will  be  found  upon  the  seaboard  and  estuaries, 

3  AL 


34  ALASKA. 

and  the  only  way  by  wliicli  their  villages  can  be  reached  is  by 
■water.  Traveling  by  laud  is  siin[>ly  impossible,  so  that  to-day 
the  two  companies  of  artillery  at  Sitka  are  entirely  unable  to 
correct  the  most  wanton  outrage  which  the  Indians  might  see 
lit  to  perpetrate  but  a  mile  from  their  sentry-lines. 

The  practical  result  of  quartering  troops  among  people  like 
these  in  Alaska  is  bad.  The  communities  thus  visited  were 
net  remarkable  for  sobriety,  morality,  or  industry  before  the 
coming  of  our  troops,  but  after  their  arrival  the  cliauge  for  the 
worse,  wherever  the  natives  were  brought  m  contact  with  them, 
was  very  marked.  Honorable  officers  find  it  sufficientl}*  diffi- 
cult to  restrain  their  subordinates  in  camps  and  posts  remote 
from  demoralizing  temptation,  but  when  their  men  are  sur- 
rounded by  simple  natives  who  will  sell  themselves  for  rum  and 
tobacco,  the  inevitable  result  follows  of  debauchery  and  intem- 
l)erance.  The  history  of  the  military  occupation  of  this  Terri- 
tory by  our  Government,  although  brief,  reilects  no  honor  upon 
the  troops,  and  is  a  most  unfortunate  one  for  the  natives  with 
whom  they  came  in  contact,  so  much  so  that  all  the  posts 
throughout  the  Territory  have  been  discontinued  except  that 
of  Sitka,  of  which  the  law,  I  believe,  compels  a  continuance, 
and  which,  1  trust,  will  be  soon  repealed  for  the  relief  of  the 
troops,  the  credit  of  the  Government,  and  also  a  saving  of  un- 
necessary expense  to  the  public  Treasury  in  moving  the  sol- 
diers to  and  from  the  Territory  and  of  subsidizing  a  mail- 
steamer  to  carry  their  letters,  «&;c. 

The  present  statute,  which  provides  ostensibly  for  the  gov- 
ernment of  the  Territory,  authorizes  the  appointment  of  a  col- 
lector of  customs  and  four  or  five  deputies  there,  the  former  lo- 
cated at  Sitka,  the  others  at  Oanalashka,  Kodiak,  and  Wran- 
gel,  where  they  are  able  only  to  conjecture  as  to  the  condition 
of  revenue  details  in  their  respective  districts,  for  they  are  un- 
able to  leave  their  posts.  The  collector  of  customs  cau  exer- 
cise no  adequate  vigilance  against  the  illicit  manufacture  and 
trade  in  whisky,  smuggling,  &t3.,  with  the  sailing-cutter  which 
is  allotted  to  this  district.  A  small  steim-vessel  alone  can  fol- 
low these  traders  and  smugglers  through  the  innumerable  nar- 
row ami  intricate  channels  and  fj lords  of  the  xVleutian  and 
Alexander  Archipelagoes. 

With  the  present  sailing  cutter,  no  calculation  can  be  made 
with  reference  to  her  movements;  she  is  at  the  mercy  of  wind 
and  tide ;  how  long  will  be  her  trip  to-^  given  place,  and  when 


ALASKA  35 

kIic  will  return,  no  satisfactory  conjecture  can  be  made;  she 
may  be  absent  but  a  few  days,  and  the  absence  may  be  protracted 
a  month.  If  the  natives  were  to  seize  a  trader's  schooner  a 
hundred,  or  even  fifty,  miles  away  from  Sitka,  and  were  the  col- 
lector to  get  instant  word  of  it,  weeks  might  elapse  before  the 
sailing-cutter  could  get  upon  the  ground  of  tlie  outrage,  and 
would  even  then  be  utterly  unable  to  follow  the  outlaws. 
There  is  no  trading  done  at  Sitka ;  the  eight  or  ten  thousand 
Indians  between  Cross  Sound  and  Fort  Simpson  trade  entirely 
in  the  inshore  passages  and  channels  with  all  sorts  of  men  and 
craft;  what  is  going  on  no  one  knows,  and,  as  matters  now 
stand,  the  collector  and  his  deputies  are  certainly  not  to  blame 
if  they  never  know. 

As  matters  now  stand,  the  town-site  of  Sitka  is  the  only  place 
in  the  Territory  where  the  merest  shadow  of  ability  exists  on 
the  part  of  the  Government  to  sustain  law  and  order,  protect 
property,  &c.  The  troops  there  stationed  are  ntterly  helpless  to 
do  anything  outside  of  their  station,  and  what  is  more,  the  Indi- 
ans know  it  and  laugh  at  them  when  they  are  reproached  and 
warned  tor  misdemeanors.  The  collector  of  customs  has  a  sail- 
ing-cutter, which  is  of  no  earthly  use,  for  she  cannot  be  used 
in  the  intricate  inside  passages,  where  the  i)rincipal  body  of 
natives  live,  and  can  at  the  best  make  a  wide,  shy  visit  to  Ko- 
diak  or  Ounalashka,  or  some  such  outside  sea  port,  and  then 
is  at  the  mercy  of  the  most  fickle  and  uncertain  weather  for 
sailing,  so  that  no  calculation  can  be  made  upon  her  going  or 
coming. 

Th?  natives  of  the  Territory  have  been  living  since  the  trans- 
fer under  no  effectual  government  restraint — a  sudden  and  per- 
nicious change  from  the  strict  Eussian  regime  ;  for  now  every- 
^Yhere  in  the  Aleutian  Islands  and  at  Kodiak  the  natives  are 
in  the  habit  of  drinking  "  quass,"  or  home-brewed  beer,  to  such 
an  extent  that  it  bids  fair  to  ruin  them  unless  checked.  The 
leaders  in  drunken  orgies  are  getting  perfectly  reckless,  for  thej^ 
liave  noted  the  fact  that  during  the  past  five  years  there  has 
been  no  punishment  or  notice  taken  by  proper  authority  of 
crime,  including  theft,  wife-beating,  and  murder  ;  that  there  is 
no  such  thing  as  the  shadow,  even,  of  suspicion  or  power  on  the 
part  of  the  Government,  of  which  they  have  only  heard  and 
know  nothing. 

That  these  people  have  not  behaved  worse  during  the  last 
two  or  three  years  in  their  present  life  of  unchecked  license  is 


36  ALASKA. 

a  strong  evidence  of  their  naturally'  amiable  and  law-abiding 
disposition,  and  it  is  manifestly  wrong  on  the  part  of  the  Gov- 
ernment to  allow  the  disorderly  element  in  the  Aleutian  aLcl 
Indian  communities  to  gatbci^  such  strength  by  continued  inat- 
tention ;  for  it  is  leading  to  the  rapid  demoralization  of  the 
Aleutians,  and  is  maldng  it  unsafe  for  white  traders  to  venture 
singly  among  the  Indians.  I  therefore  most  earnestly  call 
attention  to  a  plan  for  reform  in  the  Territory,  which  will  not 
annually  draw  from  the  Treasury  more  than  half  of  what  is 
received  every  year  from  the  tax  netted  from  the  Seal  Islands 
alone. 

The  annual  revenue  derived  by  the  Government  from  the  Ter- 
ritory, about  8300,000  net,  is  sufficient  to  support  the  proposed 
system  of  government,  and  afford  an  unexpended  balance, 
every  year,  of  from  8100,000  to  8150,000;  and  it  would  also 
result,  in  a  very  few  years,  in  adding  greatly  to  the  receipts. 

The  following  is  the  plan,  after  much  deliberation,  which  I 
venture  to  propose : * 

1.  Withdrawal  of  the  troops  from  the  Territory. 

2.  The  placing  of  the  collector  of  customs  at  Kodiak  where 
he  can  live  without  the  slightest  danger  of  injury  from  savages, 
although  if  left  alone  at  Sitka  he  would  be  subjected  to  no  ac- 
tual rish.  There  is  no  reason  why  the  central  point  for  the 
action  of  the  revenue-ofacers  should  be  at  Sitka  in  preference 
to  either  Kodiak  or  Ounalashka  ;  both  of  the  latter  being  better 
situated,  with  ten  times  the  amount  of  trade,  and  double  the 
law-abiding  population  ;  but  the  deputy,  now  at  Kodiak,  might 
be  transferred  to  Sitka. 

3.  A  small  revenue-steamer  should  be  provided,  with  a  single 
gun,  and  having  compound  engines,  so  that  she  will  use  but 
three  or  four  tens  of  coal  per  diem,  and  steam  seven  to  eight 
knots  per  hour,  and  fitted  with  spars  to  take  advantage  of 
favoring  winds.  Such  a  vessel  could  move  to  any  point  on 
brief  notice.  She  should  cruise  steadily  throughout  the  year,  for 
she  would  move  in  good,  sheltered  channels.  The  appearance 
of  this  vessel,  at  frequent  intervals,  would  be  all  that  is 
necessary  to  guarantee  security  of  life  and  property  to  traders 
throughout  the  entire  district.  Her  cruising-trips  would  estab- 
lish a  prompt  means  of  communication  between  posts;  and  she 
could  visit  Tongass    or    Fort    Simpson   every  two  or  three 

•Always  excepting  the  Prybilov  Group  of  Seal  Islands,  which  are  well  pro 
vidcd  for  by  special  acts  of  Congress,  approved  July  1, 1870,  and  March  5,  1872 


ALASKA.  37 

niontlis  aud  obtain  the  mail  for  the  Territory,  wliicb  the  reve- 
uue-cutter  stationed  on  Puget  Sound  should  be  detailed  to 
bring  at  preconcerted  intervals  of  two  or  three  months,  and,  by 
so  doing,  give  the  Territory  a  mail-system. 

4.  The  abolition  of  the  i)resent  subsidized  mail-steamer 
which  runs  between  Portland  and  Sitka.  The  handful  of  white 
citizens  there,  only  two  of  them  citizens  of  the  United  States, 
have  no  more  right  to  claim  the  i^rivilege  of  a  mail-steamer, 
which  11020  rims  for  their  hencjit  exchtsively,  than  have  the  in- 
habitants of  Kodiak,  Oimalashka,  or  Saint  Michael's,  or  half  a 
dozen  other  villages  of  greater  population  or  of  more  impor- 
tance in  this  Territory. 

5.  The  appointment  of  an  agent,  a  man  of  character  tmd  edu- 
cation, who  will  have  an  opportunity  to  keep  the  Government 
well  informed  of  the  exact  condition  of  the  people  in  the  Terri- 
tory and  its  resources,  by  reason  of  the  facilities  for  travel 
afforded  by  the  revenue-steamer. 

G.  The  extension  of  the  jurisdiction  of  the  courts  of  Oregon 
or  Washington  Territory  over  this  Territory,  so  that  when  per- 
sons belonging  to  the  Territory,  guilty  of  murder,  arson,  &c., 
are  arrested  and  sent  down  for  trial,  they  can  be  punished, 
aud  not  permitted  to  escape,  as  they  have  been  in  more  thau 
one  case  already,  for  want  of  this  jurisdiction. 

7.  The  laws  relating  to  our  mining-lands  might  be  so  ex- 
tended as  to  include  the  Territory  of  Alaska.  Gold  and  silver, 
copper,  iron,  and  coal  exist  here,  and  there  is  no  predicting 
what  the  future  may  bring  forth,  for  i)rosi)ectors  are  constantly 
at  work. 

By  placing  matters  in  the  Territory  on  such  a  footing  as  I 
have  described,  at  least  some  deiinite  approach  to  a  system  of 
law  and  order  would  be  initiated.  There  would  be  a  steady 
and  prompt  means  of  communication  between  all  the  stations 
where  life  and  property  exist.  No  whisky-smuggling  or  o[)- 
pression  of  the  natives  could  be  carried  on  without  its  speedy 
apprehension  and  suppression,  and  the  petty  crimes  which  are 
so  aggravating  and  demoralizing  at  present  throughout  the 
Territory  would  quickly  cease.  The  annual  revenue  now 
derived  from  the  Territory  is  more  than  sutiflcient  to  support 
the  whole  system  recommended. 

Beyond  the  adoption  of  tbis  plan,  in  my  judgment,  on 
the  part  of  the  Government,  nothing  more  is  required  by  the 
Territory  and  its  people.     Any  scheme  of  establishing  Indian 


405363 


38  ALASKA. 

reservatious  or  agencies  iu  this  country,  with  an  idle  and  mis- 
chievous retinue  of  superinteiideuts,  chaplains,  and  school- 
teachers, seems  to  me  entirely  uncalled  lor.  The  people  here 
are  keen  hunters  and  quick-witted  traders,  and  need  no  help 
or  care  beyond  that  I  have  indicated.  Such  of  them  as  are 
christianized  have  long  ago  embraced  the  Greek  Catholic  faith, 
and  adhere  to  it  with  devotion.  The  rest,  or  Indians,  as  they 
are  called,  are  just  as  far  from  being  in  a  Christian  state  of 
n)ind  as  they  were  when  first  approached  by  the  Russian  priests, 
over  a  hundred  years  ago. 

With  regard  to  the  education  of  the  children  of  the  better 
class  of  the  natives,  that  is,  the  Christian  Aleuts,  there  appears 
to  be  one  invincible  obstacle.  The  children,  speaking  a  strange 
tongue,  will  not  attend  school,  and  their  parents,  as  a  body, 
will  either  i:)revent  or  discourage  them  by  positive  command, 
or  by  utter  indifference.  If  they  are  to  be  educated,  their  church 
alone  can  do  it.  It  now  controls  them  perfectly  in  this  matter 
of  education. 

That  the  children  will  not  attend  school  has  been  most 
thoroughly  tested  already,  not  only  by  the  Russians,  but  by 
ourselves  during  the  past  four  years  on  the  Seal  Islands.  In 
1835  a  school  was  opened  at  Ouualashka,  and  presided  over  by 
one  of  the  most  indomitable  and  excellent  of  men,  Veniaminov, 
who  tells  us  that  in  this  settlement  of  over  275  souls  then,  only 
"  twelve  boys  could  be  brought  together."  When  more  than 
this  is  wanted  by  Alaska  in  the  way  of  legislation  by  Govern- 
ment, it  will  suggest  itself  in  due  time,  and  iu  reason. 


CHAPTER    IV. 

TKADE   m  THE   TERRITORY,  AND    THE    TRADERS, 
STATIONS,  STATISTICS,  ETC. 

Trade  is  devoted  cliiefl^'  to  furs,  with  occasional  dealings 
in  oil  and  ivory  ;  it  is  divided  among  a  lew  i)arties,  the  Alaska 
Commercial  Company  having  a  large  preponderance,  by  virtue 
of  greater  resources  and  greater  energy,  than  any  or  all  of  its 
competitors  combined;  the  sagacity  of  its  traders,  and  the  kind- 
ness with  which  they  treat  the  natives,  have  resulted  in  even 
Inore  than  quadrui)ling  the  yield  of  furs  in  the  Yukon  and 
Onnalashka  districts,  as  reported  by  the  Russian  American  Fur 
Company  at  the  time  of  the  transfer.  Tlie  o[)eration  of  this 
company  is  confined  to  the  country  west  from  Kodiak,  embracing 
the  Aleutian  Islands,  where  they  at  the  present  time  have  but 
little  competition  ;  on  the  Yukon,  Koskoquim,  and  Onnalash- 
ka they  are  o])poscd  by  Charles  Jansen,  and  by  David  Shirpser 
at  Belcovskie  and  Kodiak,  anJ  a  number  of  small  traders  and 
whalers  in  Kotzebue  Sound.  The  trade  east  of  Kodiak,  up 
Cook's  Inlet,  down  the  coast  back  of  Sitka,  to  Fort  Simpson, 
is,  so  far  as  is  known — for  I  was  unable  to  examine  this  dis- 
trict— given  up  to  small  traders  who  j^ly  in  and  out  in  light 
schooners,  canoes,  &c.,  and,  doubtless,  is  quite  extensive  and. 
largely  illicit,  for  the  natives  will  not  trade  at  Sitka  for  money  ; 
so  the  inference  plainly  is  that  they  dispose  of  their  furs  for 
whisky,  &c.,  in  the  inshore  passages,  where  smuggling  can  be 
carried  on. 

When  the  Russian  traders  first  opened  up  the  country  the 
natives  were  everywhere  found  engaged  in  fierce  intestine  wars, 
and  not  prosecuting  the  chase  of  fur-bearing  animals  more 
than  enough  to  supply  themselves  with  skins  for  manufac- 
ture into  garments ;  depending  on  the  sea  for  their  principal 
means  of  subsistence. 

They  used  the  skin  of  the  sea-otter  and  beaver  generalh'  for 
cloaks,  employing  usually  three  sea-otters  for  one  cloak ;  one  of 
these  skins  was  cut  into  two  pieces  and  afterward  sewed  to- 
gether, so  as  to  form  a  square,  and  were  loosely  tied  about  the 
shoulders  with  small  leather  strings,  fastened  on  each  side;  it 


40  ALASKA. 

was  the  siglit  of  these  sea-otter  cloaks  that  excited  the  greed 
aud  cupidity,  aud  stimulated  the  ad\euturoas  trips  made  by  the 
first  Eussiau  traders  in  the  Aleutian  Islands,  aud  the  weari- 
some voyages  of  the  English  and  French  to  the  coast  of  Van- 
couver's Island,  aud  to  the  northward  as  far  as  Cook's  Inlet,  so 
early  as  1785-80.  The  beauty  and  value  of  the  skin  of  the  sea- 
otter  alone  drew  men,  who,  in  spite  of  all  danger,  visited  every 
mile  of  the  rugged  coast  of  this  Territory,  nearly  a  hundred 
years  ago,  in  rude,  clumsy  ships  and  shallops,  and  deijended 
upon  ruder  nautical  instruments,  without  charts,  &c. 

The  hardships  endured  aud  perils  eucouutered  by  these  hardy, 
indomitable  adventurers  can  be  appreciated  only  by  the  seaman 
of  to-day,  who  may  sail  in  their  tracks,  provided  with  a  gener- 
ally correct  chart  of  a  coast  then  absolutel}'  unknown,  in  the 
best  sailing-vessels,  fully  equipped  with  perfect  nautical  instru!- 
ments,  and  yet  this  modern  sailor  cannot  sleep  day  or  night 
with  safety  while  he  is  on  the  coast  or  among  the  islands,  so 
severe  is  the  trial. 

The  first  great  demand  by  the  natives  in  the  Territory,  as  an 
equivalent  for  their  furs,  was  iron  ;  the  English  traders  usedto 
make  it  up  into  thick  wrought  bands,  about  eighteen  inches  to 
two  feet  in  length,  with  a  breadth  of  two  inches,  called  "  toes ; " 
for  one  of  these,  at  first,  they  readily  procured  a  fine  sea-otter 
or  two,  and  a  hatchet  would  obtain  two  or  three  ;  tobacco,  the 
present  great  staple  of  trade,  was  then  scarcely  in  demand, 
but  soon  became  so  ;  flour,  when  given  by  the  liussians  to  some 
xVleuts  atOunalashka,  in  1788,  was  taken  by  them  up  to  a  hill- 
top and  thrown  by  handfuls  to  the  wind,  the  natives  enjoying 
the  sight  of  the  mock  snow-storm  spectacle  much  more  than 
the  use  of  the  material  for  food  ;  over  on  the  mainland,  Avhen 
crackers  and  sugar  were  given  to  some  natives,  at  Xushagak, 
they  spit  it  from  their  mouths  with  disgust,  wearing  an  expres- 
sion of  exceeding  dislike  for  the  strange  food  ;  lead  pleased 
the  Aleutians  at  first  ver^^  much,  it  could  be  cut  and  fashiotied 
so  readily,  but  the  most  determined  trials  on  their  part  failed, 
of  course,  to  make  it  retain  a  cutting-edge,  and  they  finally  gave 
it  up. 

By  degrees,  however,  and  quite  rapidly,  iron  with  form  of 
spear  heads,  axes,  knives,  kettles,  &c.,  became  a  drug  among 
the  peoi)le  generally,  aud  a  taste  for  the  wearing  of  cotton 
and  woolen  goods,  the  use  of  tea  and  tobacco,  caused  the  natives 
of  the  Aleutian  Islands  to  strain  every  nerve  in  hunting  the  sea- 


ALASKA.  41 

otter,  and  so  effectually  did  they  do  so  that  ibe  animals  dimin- 
ished in  a  very  short  time  to  bat  a  fraction  of  their  former 
number;  but  the  natives  of  the  mainland,  a  very  different  class 
of  people,  and  incapable  of  living  in  as  advanced  a  civilization 
as  the  Aleutians,  were  never  aroused,  aud  never  will  be,  to  any 
such  activity  by  any  legitimate  effort  to  trade  ;  they  only  covet 
tobacco  and  rum,  and  a  little  of  either,  used  as  an  Indian  uses 
them,  goes  a  long  way. 

Therefore,  while  we  may  say  that  the  fur-trade  of  the  Aleu- 
tian Islands  aud  the  Peninsula,  as  far  as  Kodiak,  has  been  aud 
is  to-day  developed  to  its  full  importance,  it  is  very  evident 
that,  with  regard  to  the  rest  of  the  Territory,  the  annual  yield 
can  be  and  will  be  greatly  augmented  by  the  exertions  of  our 
energetic  aud  industrious  traders  who  are  now  scattered  in 
keen  rivalry  over  the  ground. 

By  the  very  nature  of  the  business,  character  of  country, 
and  climate  of  Alaska,  white  men  will  never  themselves  do  any 
sea-otter  hunting  or  mainland  trapping;  it  rests  solely  with 
the  natives,  and  the  annual  yield  depends  entirely  upon  the 
exertions  which  these  people  may  be  inclined  to  make  as  a 
means  of  procuring  coveted  articles  in  the  hands  of  the  traders. 
The  hardship  and  privation  to  which  the  fox  aud  marten  trap- 
pers, and  especially  the  sea-otter  hunters,  are  subjected  while 
in  pursuit  of  their  quarry  are  very  great,  yet  not  so  great  but 
that  white  men  could  endure  and  would  endure  them  did  it  pay 
well  enough  ;  but  it  will  be  seen  by  reference  to  the  tables 
giving  the  fur  yield  of  the  Territory  that  in  proportion  to  the 
number  of  hunters,  all  of  whom  are  more  or  less  skillful,  the 
return  is  a  small  one,  and  would  not  equal  the  earnings  of  the 
ordinary  mechanic  or  day-laborer  in  our  country,  with  the 
marked  exception  of  the  Avages  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  Seal 
Islands,  who  live  better  and  receive  more  pay  than  a  majority 
of  our  people  who  are  dependent  upon  manual  labor  for  support. 

The  life  and  labor  of  the  trader  on  the  mainland  and  islands 
is  one  of  much  discomfort,  and  at  certain  seasons  of  the  year 
of  incessant  activity.  A  chief  trader,  though  burdened  with 
much  responsibility,  lives  quietly  and  comfortably  at  the  re- 
doubt or  station  where  he  is  posted,  the  headquarters  usually 
of  a  very  large  district;  but  the  trading  is  all  done  by  deputy 
traders,  who  are  under  the  control  of  this  head  officer.  These 
men  start  out  from  the  post  alone,  perhaps  accompanied  by  an 
Indian,  with  a  dog-team  aud  sled,  which  is  loaded  with  several 


42  ALASKA. 

liundred-weiftbt  of  goods,  such  as  are  likely  to  be  most  prized 
by  the  tribes  they  iutend  to  visit  for  the  purposes  of  trade, 
usually  tobacco,  calico,  beads,  and  powder  and  ball,  caps,  »&c. ; 
but  the  great  bulk  is  generally  tobacco.  These  men  start  in 
the  dead  of  winter,  provided  with  nothing  but  a  blanket,  a 
tent,  a  few  pounds  of  dried  meat  or  fish,  and  tea,  and  go  in 
this  way  from  tribe  to  tribe,  from  settlement  to  settlement, 
until  the  intended  circuit  is  made  or  the  goods  disposed  of. 

When  the  trader  reaches  a  settlement  he  incpiires  if  the 
Indians  there  have  any  furs ;  if  so,  he  pitches  his  tent  and 
unpacks  his  goods  under  it,  seats  himself  in  the  middle,  near 
an  aperture  in  the  teut,  so  that  the  natives  may  approach  and 
look  in  upon  his  assortment.  Their  skins  are  then  passed 
through  the  opening  with  an  intimation  of  what  is  desired 
from  the  trader's  stock  in  exchange.  The  trader  examines  the 
skins,  tosses  them  over  into  a  common  heap,  and  tears  off  the 
cloth  or  passes  out  the  tobacco  as  the  Indians  require;  and 
this  continues  till  the  business  is  concluded. 

If  the  trader  finds  at  the  close  of  his  trading  at  any  one  or 
more  settlements  that  the  bulk  or  weight  of  his  furs  is  too  great 
for  removal  on  his  sled,  he  gives  the  surplus  into  the  care  of 
some  one  of  the  people,  counting  over  to  him  in  the  presence 
of  the  whole  village  all  the  skins.  This  man  takes  charge  and 
honestly  guards  them  until  the  trader  comes  in  person  or  sends 
for  them,  and  the  whole  community  seems  to  feel  as  if  their 
reputation  were  at  stake,  for  they  will  neither  molest  the 
trader's  cache  nor  permit  others  to  do  so.  This  is  certainly  a 
strange  and  most  noteworthy  characteristic  of  the  Indians  of 
the  great  interior  of  Alaska,  designated  in  this  report  as  the 
Yukon  district. 

The  trading  on  the  northwest  coast,  however,  from  Paget 
Sound  up  to  Prince  William's  Sound,  w^as  and  is  conducted  in 
a  very  different  manner  from  that  of  the  Yukon  district.  Here 
the  traders,  large  and  small,  employed  vessels  varying  from 
steamers  of  considerable  size  to  sloops.  Since,  however,  the 
Avitlubawal  of  the  Russian  American  Company  from  the  Terri- 
tory, and  the  steamer  Labouchere  of  the  Iludson  Bay  Com- 
pany, but  one  trading-steamer  remains  upon  this  coast,  viz,  th^e 
old  Otter,  the  property  of  the  last-named  corporation.  Sailing- 
vessels,  small  schooners  principally,  monopolize  the  trade,  and 
of  these  there  are  eight  or  ten  at  least. 

The  practice  of  these  trading  vessels  is  to  cruise  along  the 


ALASKA.  4 


Q 


coast,  rnnning  into  the  uuinerous  cauals,  cbaunels,  and  harbors 
so  characteristic  of  the  region,  where  they  come  to  an  anchor, 
within  easy  reach  of  the  shore,  and  wait  for  the  natives  to 
come  off  to  them  iu  their  canoes  laden  with  whatever  they 
may  possess  fit  for  barter.  The  trading  itself  is  tedious  be- 
yond all  measure.  The  natives  will  sit  iu  their  canoes 
around  the  vessel  for  hours  before  showing  the  least  atten- 
tion or  desire  for  business;  then  when  it  does  begin  the 
haggling  baffles  description;  each  Indian  after  the  other  try- 
ing to  get  a  little  more  than  his  predecessor,  no  matter  how 
slight  or  insignificant  it  may  be.  The  traders  of  course  dare 
not,  even  to  gain  precious  time,  deviate  i'rom  an  invariable 
rule  or  tariff  iu  barter,  and  so  the  slow  exchange  goes  on.  The 
Indians  throughout  this  whole  section  are  shrewd  and  artful 
traders,  and  do  not  scruple  to  adopt  any  means  by  which  they 
can  outwit  or  deceive  the  white  trader,  so  that  it  is  unfortu- 
nately a  case  of  diamond  cut  diamond  wherever  traders  meet 
the  natives  of  the  northwest  coast  to-day. 

With  the  Indians  of  the  Territory  trade  is  carried  on  with- 
out the  use  of  coin,  but  on  the  Aleutian  Islands,  among  the 
Ciiristiau  Aleuts,  the  people  take  cash  for  their  furs  and  \)'dy 
over  the  counters  of  the  different  stores  for  their  goods  ;  and 
this  necessitates  the  keeping  of  accounts,  since  the  traders 
often  find  it  to  their  advantage  to  give  credit  to  a  penniless 
hunter.  These  accounts  the  Aleuts  keep  in  very  good  shape, 
and  thev  are  seldom  in  error  over  their  reckoning. 

The  liussiaus  pursued  a  different  course  from  our  people  iu 
conducting  their  trade  in  this  region,  where  they  were  free  from 
the  competition  of  rival  traders.  Baranov,  the  real  founder 
and  maker  of  the  Russian  American  Company,  was  a  man  of 
indomitable  energy  and  foresight,  and  gave  the  afiairs  of  the 
company  his  vigilant  personal  supervision  everywhere  and  at 
all  times,  but  his  successors  were  unlike  him,  and  made  no 
exertiou  to  pay  dividends  to  the  stockholders,  or  to  pay  debts. 
All  of  these  gentlemen,  with  one  exception.  General  Vivia- 
tovskie,  were  officers  of  the  imperial  fleet,  and  lived  in  official 
rotation  at  Sitka,  which  was  selected  in  preference  to  Kudiak 
as  a  better  position  in  which  to  menace  and  repel  the  advances 
of  the  Hudson's  Bay  people  along  the  coast  belonging  to 
Alaska.  They  were  surrounded  by  a  troop  of  subordinates, 
living  without  regard  to  cost  or  expenditure  of  time  or  labor  ; 
a  fleet  of  fourteen  or  fii'teeu  vessels,  steam  and  sail.     Indeed, 


44 


ALASKA. 


no  better  commentary  on  tbe  management  can  be  made  than 
a  reference  to  their  arcliives,  where  in  almost  any  one  year, 
look,  for  instance,  January,  18G3,  (Techmainov,  vol.  ii,  p.  224,) 
at  this  table  showing  the  number  and  distribution  of  the  em- 
ployes and  dependents : 


Districts. 

Knssiana,  Fins, 
and  foreigners. 

Russian  Creoles. 

Alpiites      and 
Kuriles. 

Total. 

District  of  Sitka 

District  of  Kodiali;. . . 
District  ofOuiialasbka 

Men. 

418 

12SI 

4 

2 

33 

1 

Women. 
50 

1 

Men. 

210 

480 

131 

04 

25 

4 

Women. 
300 
489 
125 
106 
21 
5 

Men. 

36 

1,010 

749 

.307 

14 

126 

Women. 

31 
983 
frij 
342 

U 
108 

Men. 

064 
1,619 

684 

403 
71 

131 

Women. 
381 
1,473 

9G0 

l^isti'ict  of  Atka 

448 

33 

District  of  Kurilcs . . . 

113 

Total  

5S(J 

51 

944 

1,040 

2,  302 

2,310 

3,  822 

2,406 

Or  a  grand  total  of  G,977  dependents  of  all  classes,  and  of  this 
number  over  1,200  were  paid  regular  salaries,  from  the  governor 
down  to  the  serf. 

And  yet,  with  this  small  army  of  servants  and  dependents,  the 
Russians,  for  the  last  forty  years  of  their  possession,  did  not 
get  one-half  of  the  furs  annually  that  our  traders  now  secure 
every  year  since  their  establishment  iu  the  Territory,  while 
there  are  not  over  two  hundred  men  engaged  iu  the  whole  busi- 
ness at  present. 

Take  the  sea-otter  trade  for  instance.  The  Eussians  called 
it  a  fair  season  when  they  secured  in  the  course  of  the  year, 
throughout  the  whole  Territory,  350  to  400  sea-otters ;  many 
years  occurred  in  which  less  than  200  were  taken  ;  but  during 
the  last  two  years  2,500  to  3,000  have  been  captured  each  sea- 
son iu  the  Aleutian  and  Kodiak  districts  alone;  and  I  estimate 
that  not  less  than  500  have  been  taken  from  Cook's  Inlet  down 
to  Fort  Simpson.  This  great  increase  in  the  development  of 
the  business  is  simply  due  to  the  active  personal  supervisioa 
of  the  present  agents  and  traders. 

In  connection  with  this  view  of  the  trade  and  traders  in  the 
Territory,  it  is  proper  to  mention  the  operations  of  tiie  Ahiska 
Commercial  Company,  as  it  has  been  the  subject  of  comment 
by  the  press.  The  whole  matter  appears  to  amount  to  this, 
that  the  fur-trade  of  Alaska,  (always  excepting  the  Seal 
Islands,)  placed,  as  it  is,  in  a  fair  field  for  competition,  will 
sooner  or  later  be  controlled  by  those  who  invest  the  most 
raouey  in  the  undertaking  and  send  the  best  men  for  the  work, 
who  uiaUe  their  stations  more  attractive  to  the  natives,  aud 


ALASKA.  45 

reuder  commuiiicatiou  between  their  wide-scattered  posts  more 
frequent  and  regular.  It  will  be  more  difficult  every  year  lor 
small  or  inexperienced  traders  to  do  anything  at  the  fur-trade 
in  this  Territory,  and  the  trade  does  not  appear  extensive 
enough  to  support  the  operations  of  two  com[)anies,  each  with 
as  much  capital  invested  as  the  one  in  question.  The  result 
would  be  that  oue  would  have  to  withdraw.  As  far,  however, 
as  the  Government  is  concerned,  the  field  for  trade  in  Alaska 
is  free  and  open  to  all ;  a  practical  illustration  of  which  is 
shown  in  the  following  statement  of  affairs  existing  at  Ouna- 
lashka : 

Ouualashka  is  an  Aleutian  village  of  some  four  hundred 
souls,  men,  women,  and  children ;  of  these  sixty  are  first-class 
seaotter  hunters,  and  this  is  their  i)rofession.  The  Alaska 
Commercial  Company  have  erected  three  large  warehouses 
fronting  a  wharf,  where  their  vessels  unload  and  load ;  a  large 
store-house,  filled  with  a  most  extensive  selection  of  goods ;  a 
very  large  dwelling-house  for  their  traders;  with  office,  court- 
yard, stables  for  cattle  and  sheep,  a  blacksmith- shop,  «S:c.,  all 
finished  in  first-class  style,  and  furnished  thoroughly  through- 
out. The  company  have  also  erected  and  are  building  snug 
cottages  for  their  best  hunters  to  live  in ;  and  there  is  a  school- 
house,  where  the  native  children  are  invited  to  attend,  which 
some  do.  In  opposition  to  this,  a  young  man  is  placed  in  a 
small,  weather-worn,  rickety  shanty,  which  is  made  to  serve 
as  warehouse,  store,  and  living-room  for  the  agent ;  a  most 
meager  stock  of  goods,  no  assortment  whatever;  and  yet  this 
young  man,  who  has  not  got  one  dollar  to  back  him,  came  to 
me  and  complained  of  the  almost  total  loss  of  his  trade,  and 
said  in  explanation  that  it  was  due  to  the  fact  that  though  the 
uatives  wanted  to  trade  with  him,  yet  they  were  living  under 
the  influence  of  fear  to  such  an  extent  that  they  dared  not  do 
it,  and  hence  transferred  their  trade.  I  told  him,  after  looking 
about  the  place  and  talking  with  the  natives  aiul  their  priest 
for  three  or  four  days,  that  the  only  fear  that  these  i)eoi)le  of 
Ouualashka  had  in  the  matter  was  a  most  wholesome  one;  it 
was  the  fear,  coupled  with  au  absolute  certainty,  that,  as  he 
was  situated  for  trade,  they  w^ould  not  do  as  well  at  his  estab- 
lishment as  they  could  at  his  oi)ponent's,  and  the  dullest  of 
them  could  readily  appreciate  it ;  therefore,  if  any  successful 
opposition  to  the  Alaska  Commercial  Company  is  to  be  made 
in  the  Territory  where  it  is  established,  money  must,  be  freely 


46  ALASKA. 

expended  in  bnildings  and  upon  the  people,  who  will  go  with 
wonderful  promptness  and  unanimity  wherever  they  can  make 
the  most  in  trade  and  are  best  treated,  for  they  are  keen  and 
shrewd. 

I  now  pass  to  the  consideration  of  the  several  trading-  dis- 
tricts, and  the  character  and  quality  of  the  furs  obtained  from 
them  resjiectively. 

THE   YUKON  DISTRICT. 

KoTZEBUE  Sound  : 

The  trade  at  this  place  with  the  natives  is  principally  by 
whaling- vessels,  which  are  supplied  with  liquors;  they  tit  out 
and  clear  from  the  Sandwich  Islands  for  the  arctic,  and  take 
advantage  of  the  impunity  with  which  they  can  visit  this  port 
and  profit  by  this  illicit  occupation ;  for  the  natives  here,  as 
everywhere  else,  are  passionately  fond  of  liquor,  and  a  large 
proportion  of  the  best  furs  from  the  Lower  Yukon,  the  region 
south  of  Saint  ]\Jichael's,  is  picked  out  by  Indian  traders  and  car- 
ried to  this  place,  where  they  can  be  exchanged  for  whisky. 
The  trade,  however,  that  belongs  to  the  sound  itself  is  not  ex- 
tensive ;  only  a  small  number  of  Eskimo  live  here,  in  scattered 
settlements  along  the  coast,  at  the  mouths  of  debouching  creeks, 
&c.  The  catch  of  fur-bearing  animals  is  not  large;  the  people 
themselves  live  more  by  trading  than  by  hunting,  i.  e.,  trading 
between  the  people  living  far  to  the  southward  and  eastward 
on  the  one  hand,  and  the  whalers  and  others,  making  prolits  as 
middlemen. 

Norton's  Sound  : 

A.  few  Eskimo  traders  live  here ;  the  catch  and  yield  of  fur- 
bearing  animals  unimportant.  These  people  assist  the  Kotzebue 
traders  in  getting  their  furs  carried  up  and  over  to  that  place, 
and  many  of  them  go  over  to  Port  Clarence  with  an  assortment 
of  furs,  beaver  principally,  where  they  meet  the  ])eople  from 
the  Asiatic  side,  who  cross  Bering's  Straits  in  the  winter  on  the 
ice  by  way  of  the  Diomede  Islands,  with  dog-sleds,  loaded  with 
tame  reindeer-skins'^  tanned,  which  are  in  great  demand  by  the 
natives  of  this  district  for  manufacture  into  cloaks,  coats,  par- 
Mes,  &c.,  while  the  Asiatics  are  equally  desirous  of  getting  any 
and  all  kinds  of  fur,  such  as  mink,  marten,  land-otter,  beaver, 
«S:c.,  but  desire  beaver  especially. 


ALASKA.  47 

The  Diomedes,  King's  Island,  Sledge  Island,  and  Saint 

Lawrence — 

Are  inhabited  by  a  few  Eskimo,  but  there  is  no  trade  with 
tbem  worth  inentioiiiiig ;  tliey  have  a  little  walrus-oil  and  ivory, 
and  a  few  red  foxes,  and  occasionally  get  some  whalebone. 

Salnt  MicnAEL's: 

This  is  a  shipping-point  only  for  the  accumulated  furs  gath- 
ered by  the  traders  from  the  Lower  and  Upper  Yukon,  at  Na- 
lato.  Fort  Yukon,  and  the  Tannauah.  The  present  annual  yield 
from  these  points  is  the  largest  and  most  valuable  from  the 
mainland  of  Alaska.  A  vessel  coming  to  Saint  Michael's  in  the 
summer  will  find  from  one  hundred  to  one  hundred  and  fifty 
Indians;  they  have  come  in  from  long  distances  to  the  north- 
west, eastward,  and  southward ;  but  the  fur-trading  on  the 
Yukon  Iviver  and  its  many  tributaries  is  very  irregular  as  to 
time  and  place  year  after  year,  the  traders  constantly  moving 
from  settlement  to  settlement.  This  year  they  may  only  get  a 
thousand  skins  where  they  got  five  thousand  last  season,  and 
vice  versa.  It  is  impossible  to  say  where  the  best  place  for 
trade  will  be,  the  catch  in  different  sections  varying  every 
winter  with  the  depth  of  snow,  the  severity  of  climate,  &c. 

NUNIVAK : 

Trade  here  is  small  and  unimportant,  i)rincipally  walrus-oil, 
some  ivory,  and  a  few  red  foxes. 

Cape  Eomanzov  : 

Traders  come  up  from  the  Koskoquim  and  down  from  the 
Y'ukon  to  this  point,  where  they  get  some  very  good  furs,  mink, 
marten,  and  foxes.  At  Cape  Aviuova,  the  district  there  is  quite 
celebrated  for  its  marten  catteh,  both  in  quantity  and  quality; 
a  large  number  of  brown  bear  range  here,  where  they  subsist 
upon  berries,  roots,  reindeer,  &c.  The  Indians  live  in  small 
huts  and  settlements  scattered  all  along  the  coast  down  from 
Saint  ilichael's. 

Koskoqui:m  : 

The  trade  is  extensive,  and  done  principally  at  Kolmakov 
lledoubt,  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  up  the  river  from 
its  mouth,  and  at  a  station  some  sixty  miles  below  it.  The 
traders  come  down  the  river  in  June  with  their  cargoes  and 
meet  the  ships.    The  i)rincipal  trade  is  beaver,  red  foxes,  mink, 


48  ALASKA. 

(plenty,)  marten,  laud-otter,  (abuudaut,)  bears,  browu  and 
black.  Tbe  people  of  this  district  keep  traveling  all  the  year 
round. 

KUSHAGAK : 

About  tbe  same  as  at  Koskoquim,  but  tbe  quality  of  sable 
or  marten  deteriorates  very  mucb  and  rapidly  as  the  trader 
goes  soutb  from  this  region.  Tbepeople  are  also  great  travelers, 
always  on  the  move.  This  section  closes  the  Yukon  district, 
■which  forms  the  western  boundary  of  that  of  the  Peninsula 
and  Kodiak.  In  this  country,  between  Kotzebue  and  its  so'Uth- 
ern  boundary  back  into  the  interior  as  far  as  a  thousand  miles, 
furs  are  gathered  as  follows  : 

Bearer  are  taken  of  the  very  best  quality  and  in  the  greatest 
quantity,  and  an  immense  number  of  musk-rat  skins,  for  the 
trader  must  buy  everything,  (these  musk-rat  skins  are  princi- 
pally shipped  to  France  and  Germany,  for  i^oor  people  wear 
them;)  of  red  foxes,  quite  a  large  number  are  taken.  Black 
foxes  are  seldom  obtained,  perhaps  three  or  four  on  an  average 
during  tbe  year.  Silver-gray  foxes,  a  small  number  annually. 
Mink  and  marten  of  very  fine  quality  from  Koskoquim  to  the 
nortbwi\rd,  but  from  this  point  to  the  southward  this  fur  deteri- 
orates rapidly.  Land-otter,  quite  a  large  number  of  the  best 
quality.  Black  and  hroicn  hear,  a  few  ;  a  small  trade  in  swans''- 
doivn.  Eifter-doion,  with  profit,  cannot  be  sold  in  San  Francisco, 
but  it  is  valuable  in  Russia.  (German  goose-down  is  used  by 
our  upholster-  rs  in  preference,  as  it  is  much  cheaper  and  just 
as  good.)  Reindeer-skins  are  dried;  quite  a  large  number  of 
tbese  which  go  east  are  tanned,  and  make  a  very  superior 
leather. 

Figures  to  show  the  number  of  skins  taken  out  of  the  coun- 
try might  easily  be  obtained  were  it  under  the  control  of  a  sin- 
gle cor[)oration,  as  it  was  under  the  Russian  rule,  but  as  it  is 
now,  witb  ten  or  a  dozen  iiulependent  traders,  large  and  small, 
all  studiously  concealing  or  purposely  exaggerating  their  trans- 
actions in  order  to  draw  or  divert  trade,  tbe  figures,  were  tbey 
furnished,  would  be  quite  unreliable.  The  following  table,  how- 
ever, sbow'iug  the  yield  of  this  district  during  a  period  of 
twenty  years,  between  1842  and  ISGl,  as  given  by  Russian  au- 
thority, may  be  deemed  correct;  and  I  was  assured  by  Father 
Shiesneekov,  of  Ounalasbka,  a  Russian  priest,  born  and  raised 
in  tbis  country,  that  the  present  yield  of  furs  is  at  least  four 


ALASKA. 


49 


Mines  as  great  every  year,  compared  with  tbe  table,  owing  to 
the  greater  activity  ami  energy  of  our  traders : 

Table  lihowbifj  the  number  of  nkins  faken  bij  the  Eiisslan  American  Company  from 
the  Yukon  district,  during  the  period  between  1842  and  1861,  txventy  years. 


o 

■*^ 

o 

6 

-4^ 

o 

h 

ZJ 

^ 

o 

a 

u 

a 

a; 

X 

x" 

a 

■- 
rt 

3 

a 

^ 

^ 

3 

fH 

l^H 

^ 

1-1 

Koskofiiiira  . . . 

32,  396 

1,165 

2,098 

3,590 

320 

327 

93 

Saint  Michael's 

49,  398 

4,954 
C,119 

8,  Hd3 
10,  951 

330 

4,CG8 

10,  210 

52 

1,007 

183 

Total  . . . 

81,  794 

330 

4,CG8 

13,  80(3 

320 

52 

1,334 

270 

Guided  by  this  exhibit,  if  I  could  rely  ou  what  has  been 
affirmed  by  the  traders  whom  1  have  met  in  the  Territory,  the 
catch  in  the  Yukon  district  during  the  last  three  years  has 
iiveraged  six  times  as  much  as  the  Russian  annual  average. 

the  peninsular  and  kodiak. 
Oagashik  : 

This  is  the  only  trading-station  on  the  north  shore  of  the 
Peninsula,  and  it  is  in  itself  inconsiderable;  the  people  have  a 
few  red  foxes,  a  few  beaver,  but  quite  a  fair  number  of  reindeer- 
skins,  the  country  being  fairly  alive  v^^ith  these  animals;  they 
also  are  adjacent  to  the  large  walrus  hauling-grounds  in  Bris- 
tol Bay,  and  some  ivory  is  secured  by  them ;  they  have  a  few 
brown  bears,  an  occasional  wolf-skin,  and  a  little  swans'-down. 

Belcovskie  : 

A  sea-otter  post:  the  natives  bring  in  the  skins  of  these 
animals,  which  they  obtain  at  Saanach  and  the  Cliernobour 
Eocks;  the  trade  otherwise  is  unimportant — a  few  red  foxes 
and  brown  bears. 

Saanach.  A  sea-otter  post  recently  established :  nearly  two- 
thirds  of  the  sea-otters  captured  in  the  whole  Alaskan  district 
are  taken  around  this  island. 

Uiifja.  A  sea-otter  post,  with  small  trade  in  red  foxes,  black 
and  brown  bears,  &c. 

Kodial;  or  Saint  FauFs.— Once,  the  headquarters  of  the  old 
Eussian  American  Company,  but  since  1825  it  has  been  a 
mere  trading  post;  a  large  nur.iber  of  sea-otter  hunters  make 
it  their  home,  and  bring  in  their  quarry  for  trade  there ;  all  the 
trade  of  Keuai  and  Cook's  Inlet  came  in  here  under  the  old 
4  AL 


50  ALASKA. 

regime,  but  it  is  now  confiued  principally  to  the  sea-otter  trade  ; 
the  Cook's  Inlet  and  Katmai  trade  is  mostly  engrossed  by 
trading-schooners  ])lyiug  between  these  places  and  Paget 
Sound;  the  yield  of  this  district  uuder  the  Eussiau  control 
is  given  for  twenty  years,  1842-lSGl,  inclusive,  as  follows: 
Sea-otters,  5,809  ;  beaver,  85,381 ;  marten,  14,295  ;  miuUs,  1,175  ; 
musk-rats,  14,313;  wolverines,  1,276;  marmots,  712;  wolves,  58. 

In  the  Cook's  Inlet  district,  the  JIount  Saint  Elias  and 
SiTKAN  DISTRICTS,  there  are  no  well-established  trading-posts,  . 
the  business  being  conducted  on  shipboard  everywhere,  the 
natives  coming  ofi"  to  the  trading-schooiK^rs  in  their  canoes. 
At  the  time  of  the  Eussian  occupation  there  was  considerable 
trading  done  at  Sitka,  but  now  it  has  fallen  off  entirely,  the 
natives  of  that  place  and  vicinity  going  back  into  the  inside 
passages,  where  they  can  trade  with  whisky-schoouers  in  per- 
fect security,  as  affairs  are  now  conducted  in  the  Territory. 

A  large  varietv  of  furs  are  brought  in  from  the  dense  forests 
and  high  mountains  of  this  region — such  as  red,  black,  and  sil- 
ver foxes,  brown  and  black  bears,  mink,  marten,  porcupines, 
beaver,  land  and  sea  otter,  fur  seal,  hair-seal,  deer,  rabbits, 
squirrels,  mountain-goats,  ermines,  and  the  hoary  marmot  or 
"whistler. 

The  Ounalashka  district  : 

This  embraces  the  whole  of  the  Aleutian  Archipelago,  and  is 
given  entirely  to  the  sea-otters;  there  is  nothing  else  in  this 
section  fit  for  trade  save  a  few  red  and  black  foxes,  and  in  it 
are  established  six  stations,  viz :  Ounalaslri,  the  largest  aud 
i:»rincipal  one,  Alcootan,  Chcrnovslde,  Oomnal\  Atlca,  aud  Attou, 
Avhicli  are  the  homes  of  the  sea-otter  hunters,  and  where  they 
trade. 

'    The  stations  enumerated  in  the  foregoing  districts  comprise 
all  that  are  established  in  the  Alaskan  Territory. 

the  value  of  the  fur-trade. 

With  the  exception  of  the  Sitkan  and  Cook's  Inlet  districts, 
the  gross  value  of  the  anijual  fur-production  of  Alaska  can  be 
closely  ascertained.  I  append  to  this  head  several  tables  from 
Enssian  authorities  in  reference  to  the  subject,  aud  call  atten- 
tion to  the  fact  that  for  the  last  uiuety  years  or  more,  up  to  the 
present  date,  the  prices  of  the  leading  furs  in  our  market  to-day 
are  very  much  what  they  were  then,  with  the  exception  of  the 


ALASKA.  51 

fur-seal,  which  has  been  greatly  enhanced  in  value  by  reason  of 
improvement  in  dressing,  but  the  marten  and  the  sea-otter 
stand  to-day  at  almost  the  same  figures  at  which  they  were 
bought  and  sold  a  hundred  years  ago  in  China,  where  the  value 
of  mouey  has  remained  the  same;  the  native  hunters,  how- 
ever, receive  now  three,  four,  and  five  times  as  much  as  they 
were  paid  by  the  Russian  American  Company  for  their  skins. 
The  following  list  may  be  taken  as  very  nearly  correct,  and 
shows  the  gross  value  of  the  fur-trade  of  the  Territory  to  the 
traders  for  the  year  1873  : 

100,000  fur-seal  skius,  at  an  average  of  $7 $700, 000 

3,000  sea-otter  skins,  at  an  average  of  $75 225,000 

50,000  skins  from  the  Yukon  district,  assorted,  at  an  average  of  $2.  100,  000 
30,000  skins  from  all  the  rest  of  the  Territory,  (this  is  a  very  un- 
satisfactory estimate,)  at  an  average  of  $2 60,  000 

A  grand  total  of 1,085,000 

Which  is  more  than  double  the  annual  receipts  of  any  one  of 
the  best  of  the  last  twenty  years  of  the  Eussian  American 
Company,  so  far  as  can  be  judged  by  reference  to  their  state- 
ments, as  is  shown  in  the  table  at  the  close  of  this  article. 

It  seems  that  the  Seal  Islands  represent  two-thirds  of  the 
whole  value  of  the  fur-trade  of  Alaska,  and  that  with  the  sea- 
otter  interest  combined  there  is  scarcely  anything  left. 

Matters  are  now  so  arranged  on  the  Seal  Islands  that  the  Gov- 
ernment nets  a  revenue  of  $300,000  per  annum,  with  the  pres- 
ervation of  its  interest  there  in  all  of  its  original  integrity. 
With  reference  to  the  sea-otter  trade,  I  think  I  clearly  show 
the  necessity  for  protection  from  the  Government  in  my  dis- 
cussion of  the  subject  in  this  report,  and,  in  regard  to  the 
remaining  interests,  the  country  itself  protects  them. 


52 


ALASKA. 


Table  showing  the  yield  of  the  cliffcreut  stations  in  1-he  Territory  of  Alaska,  from 
the  archives  of  the  liussian  American  Fur  Company,  for  a  period  of  twenty 
years,  between  1842  and  ItiGl. 


en 
a 

M 

'a 

B 

c 

o 

^ 

1 

"3 

5 

'Ee 

CJ 

g 
o 
o 

Kodiak. 

49,  398 
4,954 

32,  396 
1, 105 

85, 381 

T,iTiii.ottfr 

329 

5,080 

979 
3,611 

2,242 

1,188 

5,809 

309,  701 

"PflVOfi    lilfiolv 

10, 216 

3,  590 
320 

19,  C71 

5,731 

34,  794 

2,503 

1,C85 

T'rtTPs    whitft 

"Mirtf^Tia 

8,853 

330 

52 

1,007 

S,098 

14,295 

;Miuks 

1,  175 

1,276 

327 

"XVolves 

58 

183 

93 

4,008 

14,313 

712 

4,100  lbs 

116  lbs. 
3,315  prs. 

1,040  lbs. 

21,040  lbs 

51,840  lbs 

f  ^Astftnim 

0,830prs. 



Table  showing  the  exportation  of  furs  by  the  Russian-American  Company. 


Variety  of  fur. 

Period  of 
1797-1821, 
(24  years.) 

Period  of 
1821-1842, 
(21  years.) 

Period  of 
18^2-1661, 
(19  years.) 

Sea-otter,  adult  and  1-year  old  skins 

72,  894 

34,  546 

14,  909 

1, 232,  374 

34,  540 

13,  702 

21,  890 

30,  950 

30,  302 

4,  234 

17,  2t9 

4,  802 

1,151 

1,389 

121 

1,  602 

27 

25,416 

23,  500 

29,  442 

458,  502 

102,  034 

17,913 

20,  402 

45,  947 

55,714 

13,  038 

15,  006 

15,481 

1,504 

4,253 

201 

5,  35j 

25,  P09 
25,  797 

I^and-otters 

70,  47.1 

Fur-seals 

372,  894 

Beavers 

157, 484 

Foxes,  black 

Foxes,  cross  or  silver    

>                77, 847 

Foxes,  red 

Foxi.  s,  blue 

I                54, 134 

Foxes,  ■white 

Martens 

12,  782 

Minks 

872 

AVolverines  .,. ._.. 

10 

"Lvns 

6,  927 

Tv'olves 

24 

Beai's 

1,893 

Sealiotis,  youug  

Musk  rats 

4,491 

6,570 

"VValru.s-teetli 

64, 640  lbs. 

20  lbs. 

47,  040  lbs. 

2C0  040  lbs. 

Castonim 

4  900  lbs. 

Wbale-bone 

138  200  lbs. 

The  following  shows  the  amount  of  food-supplies  required, 
iudepeudeut  of  tea,  tobacco,  and  liquor,  for  tlie  annual  subsist- 
ence of  the  employes  of  the  Eussiau-American  Company, 
(18G3 ;)  a  year's  supply  or  more  was  always  kept  in  advance  in 
case  of  an  emergency,  (from  Techmainov :) 


ALASKA.  53 

Wheat,  14,000  poods,  at  3  rubles  and  26  kopecks  a  pood,  (or 
30  pounds.) 

Flour,  498  poods,  at  0  rubles  and  31  kopecks  a  pood. 

Peas,  404  poods,  at  4  rubles  and  90  kopecks  a  pood. 

Split  wheat,  404  poods,  at  4  rubles  and  90  kopecks  a  pood. 

Salt,  922  poods,  at  3  rubles  and  78  kopecks  a  pood. 

Butter,  498  poods,  at  20  rubles  and  20  kopecks  a  pood. 

Hams,  92  poods,  at  50  kopecks  a  pound. 

The  rubles  are  paper,  equal  to  20  cents  each.  A  pood  is  3G 
pounds  Euglish,  or  40  Eussiau  pounds. 


CHAPTER  V. 
THE  SEA-OTTER  AND  ITS  HUNTING. 

The  sea-otter,  like  tbe  fur-seal,  is  another  illustration  of  an 
animal  long  known  and  highly  prized  in  the  commercial  world, 
yet  respecting  the  habits  and  life  of  which  nothing  definite 
has  been  ascertained  or  published.  The  reason  for  this  is  obvi- 
ous, for,  save  the  natives  who  hunt  them,  no  one  i^roperly  quali- 
fied has  ever  had  an  opportunity  of  seeing  the  sea-otter  so  as 
to  study  it  in  a  state  of  nature,  for,  of  all  the  shy,  sensitive 
beasts,  upon  the  capture  of  which  man  sets  any  value,  this 
creature  is  the  most  keenly  on  the  alert  and  difficult  to  obtain  ; 
and,  like  the  fur-seal  in  this  Territory,  it  possesses  the  enhanc- 
ing value  of  being  principally  confined  to  our  country.  A  truth- 
ful account  of  the  strange,  vigilant  life  of  the  sea-otter,  and  of 
the  hardships  and  perils  encountered  by  its  hunters,  would  sur- 
pass in  novelty  and  interest  the  most  attractive  work  of  fiction. 

When  the  Eussian  traders  opened  up  the  Aleutian  Islands 
they  found  the  natives  commonly  wearing  sea-otter  cloaks, 
which  they  parted  with  at  first  for  a  trifle,  not  placing  any  es- 
pecial value  on  the  animal,  as  they  did  the  hair-seal  and  the 
sea-lion,  the  flesh  and  skins  of  which  were  vastly  more  palata- 
ble and  serviceable  to  them ;  but  the  offers  of  the  greedy 
traders  soon  set  the  natives  after  them.  During  the  first  few 
years  the  numbers  of  these  animals  taken  all  along  the  Aleu- 
tian Chain,  and  down  the  whole  northwest  coast  as  far  as  Ore- 
gon, were  very  great,  and  compared  with  what  are  now  captured 
seem  perfectly  fabulous ;  for  instance,  when  the  Prybilov  Isl- 
ands were  first  discovered,  two  sailors,  Lukannon  and  Kaiekov, 
killed  at  Saint  Paul's  Island,  in  the  first  year  of  occupation, 
five  thousand;  the  next  year  they  got  less  than  a  thousand,  and 
in  six  years  after  not  a  single  sea-otter  appeared,  and  none  have 
appeared  since.  When  Shellikov's  party  first  visited  (book's 
Inlet,  they  secured  three  thousand ;  during  the  second  year, 
two  thousand;  in  the  third,  only  eight  hundred;  the  season 
following  they  obtained  six  hundred ;  and  finally,  in  1812,  less 
than  a  hundred,  and  since  then  not  a  tenth  of  that  number. 
The  first  visit  made  by  the  llussians  to  the  Gulf  of  Yahkutat, 


ALASKA.  55 

in  1794,  two  thonsaud  sea-otters  were  taken,  but  they  diraiu- 
isbed  so  rapidly  that  in  1799  less  than  three  hundred  were  taken. 
In  1798  a  large  party  of  llussians  and  Aleuts  captured  in  Sitka 
Sound  and  neighborhood  twelve  hundred  skins,  besides  those 
for  which  they  traded  with  the  natives  there,  fully  as  many 
more;  and  in  the  spring  of  1800  a  few  American  and  English 
vessels  came  into  Sitka  Sound,  anchored  off  the  small  llussian 
settlement  there,  and  traded  with  the  natives  for  over  two 
thousand  skins,  getting  the  trade  of  the  Indians  by  giving  fire- 
arms and  powder,  ball,  «S:c.,  which  the  Russians  did  not  dare 
to  do,  living  then,  as  they  were,  in  the  country.  In  one  of  the 
early  years  of  the  Russian  American  Company,  1804:,  Baranov 
went  to  the  Okotsk  from  Alaska  with  fifteen  thousand  sea-otter 
skins,  that  were  worth  as  much  then  as  they  are  dow^,  viz,  fully 
$1,000,000. 

The  result  of  this  warfare  upon  the  sea-otters,  with  ten  hunt- 
ers then  where  there  is  one  to-da}-,  was  not  long  delayed.  Eve- 
rywhere throughout  the  whole  coast-line  frequented  by  them  the 
diminution  set  in,  and  it  became  difficult  to  get  to  places  where 
a  thousand  had  once  been  as  easily  obtained  as  twenty-five  or 
thirty.  A  llussian  chronicler  says:  "The  nnmbersof  several 
kinds  of  animals  are  growing  very  much  less  in  the  present 
as  compared  with  past  times ;  for  instance,  the  company  liere 
(Ounalashka)  regularly  killed  more  than  a  thousand  sea-otters 
annually;  now  (1835)  from  seventy  to  a  hundred  and  fifty  are 
taken ;  und  there  was  a  time,  in  1820,  when  the  returns  from  the 
whole  Ounalashkau  district  (the  Aleutian  Islands)  were  ou]y  Ji/- 
teen  skins." 

It  is  also  a  fact  coincident  with  this  diminution  of  the  sea- 
otters,  that  the  population  of  the  Aleutian  Islands  fell  off  almost 
in  the  same  proportion.  The  Eussians  regarded  the  lives 
of  these  people  as  the3'  did  those  of  dogs,  and  treated  them  ac- 
cordingly ;  they  took,  under  Baranov  and  his  subordinates,  hunt- 
ing-parties of  five  hundred  to  a  thousand  picked  Aleuts,  eleven 
or  twelve  hundred  njilesto  the  eastward  of  their  homes,  in  skin- 
baidars  and  bidarkies,  or  kyacks,  traversing  one  of  the  wildest 
and  roughest  of  coasts,  and  used  them  not  only  for  the  severe 
drudgery  of  otter-hunting,  but  to  fight  the  Koloshians  and 
other  savages  all  the  way  up  and  down  the  coast;  this  soon 
destroyed  them,  and  few  ever  got  back  alive. 

When  the  Territory  came  into  our  possession  the  Eussians 
were  taking  between  four  and  five  hundred  sea-otters  from  the 


56  ALASKA. 

Aleutiati  Islands  and  sonth  of  the  peninsula  of  Al:islc;i,  with 
perhaps  a  hundred  and  tifty  more  from  Kenai,  Yalduitat,  and 
the  Sitkau  district;  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  and  other 
traders  gettiug  about  two  hundred  more  from  the  coast  of  Queen 
Charlotte's  and  Vancouver's  Islands,  and  off  Gray's  Harbor, 
Washington  Territof}'. 

Now,  during  the  last  season,  1873,  instead  of  less  than  seven 
hundred  skins,  as  obtained  by  the  Russians,  our  traders  secured 
not  much  less  than  four  thousand  skins.  This  immense  differ- 
ence is  not  due  to  the  fact  of  there  being  a  proportionate  in- 
crease of  sea-otters,  but  to  the  organization  of  hunting-parties 
in  the  same  spirit  and  fashion  as  in  the  early  days  above  men- 
tioned. The  keen  competition  of  our  traders  will  ruin  the  busi- 
ness in  a  comparatively  short  time  if  some  action  is  not  taken 
by  the  Government ;  and  to  the  credit  of  these  traders  let  it  be 
said,  that  while  they  cannot  desist,  for  if  they  do  others  will 
step  in  and  profit  at  their  expense,  yet  thej'  are  anxious  that 
some  prohibition  should  be  laid  upon  the  business.  This  can 
be  easily  done,  and  in  such  a  manner  as  to  perpetuate  the  sea- 
otter,  not  only  for  themselves,  bnt  for  the  natives,  who  are  de- 
pendent upon  its  hunting  for  a  living  which  makes  them  supe- 
rior to  savages. 

Over  two-thirds  of  all  the  sea-otters  taken  in  Alaska  are 
secured  in  two  small  areas  of  water,  little  rocky  islets  and  reefs 
around  the  island  of  Saanach  and  the  Cheruobours,  which 
proves  that  these  animals,  in  spite  of  the  incessant  hunting  all 
the  year  round  on  this  ground,  seem  to  have  some  particular 
preference  for  it  to  the  practical  exclusion  of  nearly  all  the  rest 
of  the  coast  in  the  Territory.  This  may  be  due  to  its  better 
adaptation  as  a  breeding-ground.  It  is  also  noteworthy  that 
all  the  sea-otters  taken  below  the  Straits  of  Fucn  are  shot  by 
the  ludiaus  and  white  hunters  oft"  the  beach  in  the  surf  at 
Gray's  Harbor,  a  stretch  of  less  than  twenty  miles ;  here  some 
fifty  to  a  hundred  are  taken  every  year,  while  not  half  that 
number  can  be  obtained  from  all  the  rest  of  the  Oregon  and 
Washington  coast-line;  there  is  nothing  in  the  external  appear- 
ance of  this  reach  to  cause  its  selection  b^^  the  sea-otters,  ex- 
cept perhaps  that  it  may  be  a  little  less  rocky. 

As  matters  are  now  conducted  by  the  hunting  parties,  the 
sea-otters  at  Saanach  and  the  Cheruobours  do  not  have  a  day's 
rest  during  the  whole  year.  Parties  relieve  each  other  in  suc- 
cession, and  a  continual  warfare  is  maintained.  This  persistence 


ALASKA.  '  57 

is  stiir.ulatcd  by  the  traders,  and  is  rendered  still  more  deadly 
to  the  sea-otter  by  the  use  of  rifles  of  the  best  make,  which,  iu 
the  bauds  of  the  young  and  ambitions  natives,  in  spite  of  the 
warnings  of  the  old  men,  must  result  in  the  extermination  of 
those  animals,  as  no  authority  exists  in  the  land  to  prevent  it. 
These  same  old  men,  in  order  to  successfully  compete  with 
their  rivals,  have  to  drop  their  bone  spears  and  arrows  and 
take  up  fire-arms  in  self-defense.  So  the  bad  work  goes  on 
ra[)idly,  thongh  a  majority  of  the  natives  and  the  traders 
deprecate  it. 

With  a  view  to  check  this  evil  and  to  perpetuate  the  life  of 
the  sea-otter  in  the  Territory,  I  offer  the  following  suggestions 
to  the  Department : 

1st.  Prohibit  the  use  of  fire-arms  of  any  description  iu  the 
hunting  of  the  sea-otter  in  the  Territory  of  Alaska. 

2d.  Make  it  unlawful  for  any  party  or  parties  to  hunt  this 
animal  during  the  months  of  June,  July,  and  August,  fixing  a 
suitable  penalty,  fine,  or  punishment. 

The  first  proposition  gives  the  sea  otter  a  chance  to  live;  and, 
with  the  second,  may  possibly  promote  an  increase  in  the  num- 
ber of  this  valuable  animal. 

Theenforcement  by  theGovernmentof  this  prohibition  will  not 
be  difflcult,  as  it  is  desired  by  a  great  majority  of  the  natives 
and  all  the  traders  having  any  real  interest  in  the  perpetuation 
of  the  business.  A  good  deputy  attached  to  the  customs,  whose 
salary  and  expenses  might  be  more  than  paid  by  a  trifling  tax 
upon  each  otter-skin,  sa^^  $1,  could,  if  provided  with  a  sound 
whale-boat,  make  his  headquarters  at  Saauach  and  Belcovski 
and  carry  the  law  into  effect.  The  trade  of  the  Kodiak  dis- 
trict centers  at  the  village  of  that  name,  and  the  presence  of 
the  collector  or  his  deputy  will  exert  authorit}-,  and  cause  the 
old  native  hunters  and  many  of  the  younger  who  have  reflec- 
tion to  comply  with  his  demands.  The  collector  then  being 
provided  with  the  small  revenue-steamer  spoken  of  iu  my 
chapter  upon  the  duty  of  the  Government  toward  the  Territory, 
can  insure  compliance  with  the  instructious  giveu  him,  and 
punish  violations. 

This  proposed  action  on  the  part  of  the  Government  is  urgent 
and  humane,  for  upon  the  successinl  hunting  of  the  sea-otter 
some  five  thousand  Christianized  natives  are  entirely  dependent 
for  the  means  to  live  in  a  condition  superior  to  barbarism. 


58  ♦  ALASKA. 

THE  HABITS  OF  THE  SEA-OTTE-^,  {EnJiyclra  mnvlna.) 

I  have  bad  a  number  of  interestiug  interviews  with  several 
very  intelligent  traders,  and  an  English  hunter  who  had  spent 
an  entire  winter  on  Saauach  Island,  shooting  sea-otters,  and 
enduring;,  while  there,  bitter  privation  and  hardship ;  and 
chieHy  from  their  accounts,' aided  b^^  my  own  observation,  I 
submit  the  following: 

Saanach  Island,  Islets,  and  Reefs,  is  the  great  sea-otter  ground 
of  this  country.  The  island  itself  is  small,  with  a  coast-line 
circuit  of  about  eighteen  miles.  Spots  of  sand- beach  are  found 
here  and  there,  but  the  major  portion  of  it  is  composed  of  enor- 
mous water-worn  bowlders  piled  up  by  the  surf.  The  interior 
is  low  and  rolling,  with  a  ridge  rising  into  three  hills,  the  mid- 
dle one  some  800  feet  in  height.  Tbere  is  no  timber  on  it,  but 
abundant  grass,  moss,  &c.,  with  a  score  of  little  fresh-water 
lakes,  in  which  multitudes  of  ducks  and  geese  are  found  every 
spring  and  fall.  The  natives  do  not  live  upon  the  island, 
because  the  making  of  fires  and  scattering  of  food-refuse  alarms 
the  otters,  driving  them  off  to  sea;  so  that  it  is  only  camped 
upon,  and  fires  are  never  built  unless  the  wind  is  from  the 
southward,  for  no  sea-otters  are  ever  found  to  the  north  of  the 
island.  The  sufferings  to  which  the  native  hunters  subject 
themselves  every  winter  on  this  island,  going  for  many  weeks 
without  fires,  even  for  cooking,  with  the  thermometer  down  to 
zero,  in  a  northerly  gale  of  wind,  is  better  imagined  than  de- 
scribed. 

To  the  southward  and  westward,  and  stretching  directly  out 
to  sea,  some  five  to  eight  miles  from  Saauach  Island,  is  a  suc- 
cession of  small  islets,  bare,  most  of  them,  at  low  water,  but 
with  numerous  reefs  and  rocky  shoals,  beds  of  kelp,  »S:c.  This 
is  the  great  sea-otter  ground  of  Alaska,  together  with  the 
Cherrobour  Islets,  to  the  eastward  i  bout  thirty  miles,  which 
are  simihir  to  it. 

The  sea-otter  rarely  lands  upon  the  main  island,  but  it  is 
fouiul  jnst  out  of  water  on  the  reef  rocks  and  islets  above  men- 
tioned, in  certain  seasons,  and  at  a  little  distance  at  sea  during 
calm  and  pleasant  weather. 

The  adult  sea-otter  is  an  animal  that  will  measure  from  three 
and  a  half  to  four  feet  at  most,  from  nose  to  tip  of  tail,  which  is 
short  and  stumpy.  The  general  contour  of  the  body  is  closely 
like  that  of  the  beaver,  with  the  skin  lying  in  loose  folds,  so 
that  when  taken  hold  of  in  lifting  the  boJy  out  from  the  water, 


ALASKA.  59 

it  is  as  slack  and  draws  up  like  the  bide  on  the  nape  of  a  young- 
dog.  This  skin,  which  is  taken  from  the  body  with  but  one 
cut  made  in  it  at  the  posteriors,  is  turned  inside  out,  and  air- 
dried,  and  stretched,  so  that  it  then  gives  the  erroneous  impres- 
sion of  an  animal  at  least  six  feet  in  length,  with  girth  and 
shape  of  a  weasel  or  mink. 

There  is  no  sexual  dissimilarity  in  color  or  size,  and  both 
manilest  the  same  intense  shyness  and  aversion  to  man,  coupled 
with  the  greatest  solicitude  for  their  young,  which  they  bring 
into  existence  at  all  seasons  of  the  year,  for  the  natives  get 
young  pups  every  mouth  in  the  year.  As  the  natives  have 
never  caught  the  mothers  bringing  forth  their  ofl'spring  on  the 
rocks,  they  are  disposed  to  believe  that  the  birth  takes  place 
on  kelp-beds,  in  pleasant  or  not  over-rough  weather.  The  fe- 
male has  a  single  pup,  born  about  15  inches  in  length,  and  pro- 
vided during  the  first  month  or  two  with  a  coat  of  coarse,  brown- 
ish, grizzled  fur,  head  and  nape  grizzled,  grayish,  rufous  white, 
with  the  roots  of  the  hair  growing  darker  toward  the  skin. 
The  feet,  as  in  the  adult,  are  very  short,  webbed,  with  nails 
like  a  dog,  fore-paws  exceedingly  feeble  and  small,  all  covered 
with  a  short,  fine,  dark,  bister-brown  hair  or  fur.  From  this 
poor  condition  of  fur  they  improve  as  they  grow  older,  shading- 
darker,  finer,  thicker,  and  softer,  and  by  the  time  they  are  two 
years  of  age  they  are  "prime,"  though  the  animal  is  not  full- 
grown  until  its  fourth  or  fifth  year.  The  white  nose  and  nuis- 
tache  of  the  pup  are  not  changed  in  the  adult.  The  whiskers 
are  white,  short,  and  fine. 

The  female  has  two  teats,  resembling  those  of  a  cat,  placed 
between  the  hind  limbs  on  the  abdomen,  and  no  signs  of  more ; 
the  pup  sucks  a  year  at  least,  and  longer  if  its  mother  has  no 
other ;  the  mother  lies  upon  her  back  in  the  water  or  upon 
the  rocks,  as  the  case  may  be,  and  when  she  is  surprised  she 
protects  her  young  by  clasping  it  in  her  fore-paws  and  turning 
lier  back  to  the  danger ;  they  shed  their  fur  just  as  the  hair  of 
man  grows  and  falls  out ;  the  reason  is  evident,  for  they  must 
be  ready  for  the  water  at  all  times. 

The  sea-otter  mother  sleeps  in  the  water  on  her  back,  with 
her  young  clasped  between  her  fore-paws.  The  pup  cannot 
live  without  its  mother,  though  frequent  attempts  have  been 
made  by  the  natives  to  raise  them,  as  they  often  capture  them 
alive,  but,  like  some  other  species  of  wild  animals,  it  seems  to 


60  ALASKA. 

be  so  deeply  imbued  with  fear  of  inau  that  it  invaiiably  dies 
from  self-imposed  starvation. 

Their  food,  as  might  be  inferred  from  the  flat  molars  of  denti- 
tion, is  almost  entirely"  comi^osed  of  clams,  muscles,  and  sea- 
urchins,  of  which  they  are  very  fond,  and  which  they  break  by 
striking  the  shells  together,  held  in  each  fore  paw,  sucking  out 
the  contents  as  they  are  fractured  by  these  efibrts ;  they  also 
undoubtedly  eat  crabs,  and  the  juicy,  tender  fronds  of  kelp  or 
sea-weed,  and  fish. 

They  are  not  polygamous,  and  more  than  an  individual  is 
seldom  seen  at  a  time  when  out  at  sea.  The  flesh  is  verj'  un- 
palatable, highly  charged  with  a  rank  smell  and  flavor. 

They  are  playful,  it  would  seem,  for  I  am  assured  by  several 
old  hunters  that  they  have  watched  the  sea-otter  for  a  half  an 
hour  as  it  lay  upon  its  back  in  the  water  and  tossed  a  i^iece  of 
sea-weed  up  in  the  air  from  paw  to  paw,  apparently  taking 
great  delight  in  catching  it  before  it  could  fall  into  the  water. 
It  will  also  play  with  its  young  for  hours. 

The  quick  hearing  and  acute  smell  possessed  by  the  sea-otter 
are  not  equaled  by  any  other  creatures  in  the  Territory.  They 
will  take  alarm  and  leave  from  the  effects  of  a  small  fire,  four 
or  five  miles  to  the  windward  of  them  ;  and  the  footstep  of  man 
must  be  washed  by  many  tides  before  its  trace  ceases  to  alarm 
the  animal  and  drive  it  from  lauding  there  should  it  approach 
for  that  purpose. 

There  are  four  principal  methods  of  capturing  the  sea-otter, 
viz,  by  surf-sliooting,  by  spearmg-surrounds,  by  cluhhing,  and  by 
nets. 

The  surf-shooting  is  the  common  method,  but  has  only  been 
in  vogue  among  the  natives  a  short  time.  The  young  men  have 
nearly  all  been  supplied  with  rifles,  with  which  they  patrol  the 
shores  of  the  island  and  inlets,  and  whenever  a  sea-otter's  head 
is  seen  in  the  surf,  a  thousand  yards  out  even,  they  fire,  the 
great  distance  and  the  noise  of  the  surf  preventing  the  sea- 
otter  from  taking  alarm  until  it  is  hit;  and,  in  nine  times 
out  of  ten,  when  it  is  hit,  in  the  head,  which  is  all  that  is  ex- 
posed, the  shot  is  fatal,  and  the  hunter  waits  until  the  surf 
brings  his  quarry  in,  if  it  is  too  rough  for  him  to  venture  out 
in  his  "  bidarkie."  This  shooting  is  kept  up  now  the  whole 
year  round. 

The  spearing-surround  is  the  orthodox  native  system  of  cap- 
ture, and  reflects  the  highest  credit  upon  them  as  bold,  hardy 


ALASKA.  61 

watermen.  A  party  of  fifteen  or  twenty  bidarkies,  with  two 
men  in  each,  as  a  rale,  all  under  the  control  of  a  chief  elected 
by  common  consent,  start  out  in  pleasant  weather,  or  when  it 
is  not  too  rough,  and  spread  themselves  out  in  a  long  line, 
slowly  paddling  over  the  waters  where  sea-otters  are  most 
usually  found.  When  any  one  of  them  discovers  an  otter, 
asleep,  most  likely,  in  the  water,  he  makes  a  quiet  signal,  and 
there  is  not  a  word  spoken  or  a  paddle  splashed  while  they  are 
on  the  hunt.  He  darts  toward  the  animal,  but  generally  the 
alarm  is  taken  by  the  sensitive  object,  which  instantly  dives 
before  the  Aleut  can  get  near  enough  to  throw  his  sjiear.  The 
liunter,  however,  keeps  right  on,  and  stops  his  canoe  directly 
over  the  spot  where  the  otter  disappeared.  The  others,  taking 
note  of  the  position,  all  deploy  and  scatter  in  a  circle  of  half  a 
mile  wide  around  the  mark  of  departure  thus  made,  and  pa- 
tiently wait  for  the  re-appearance  of  the  otter,  which  must  take 
place  within  fifteen  or  thirty  minutes  for  breath  ;  and  as  soon 
as  this  happens  the  nearest  one  to  it  darts  forward  in  the  same 
manner  as  his  predecessor,  when  all  hands  shout  and  throw 
their  spears,  to  make  the  animal  dive  again  as  quickly  as  pos- 
sible, thus  giving  it  scarcely  an  instant  to  recover  itself.  A 
sentry  is  placed  over  its  second  diving- wake  as  before,  and  the 
circle  is  drawn  anew ;  and  the  surprise  is  often  repeated,  some- 
times for  two  or  three  hours,  until  the  sea-otter,  from  inter- 
rupted respiration,  becomes  so  filled  with  air  or  gases  that  he 
cannot  sink,  and  becomes  at  once  an  easy  victim. 

The  coolness  with  which  these  Aleuts  will  go  far  out  to  sea  in 
their  cockle-shell  kyacks,  and  risk  the  approach  of  gales  that 
are  as  apt  to  be  against  them  as  not,  with  a  mere  handful  of 
food  and  less  water,  is  remarkable.  They  are  certainly  as  hardy 
a  set  of  hunters,  patient  and  energetic,  as  can  be  found  in  the 
world. 

The  clubbing  is  only  done  in  the  winter-season,  and  then  at 
infrequent  intervals,  which  occur  when  tremendous  gales  of 
wind  from  the  northward,  swee[)ing  down  over  Saanach,  have 
about  blown  themselves  out.  The  natives,  the  very  boldest  of 
them,  set  out  from  Saanach,  and  scud  down  on  the  tail  of  the 
gale  to  the  far  outlying  rocks,  just  sticking  out  above  surf-wash, 
where  they  creep  u\}  from  the  leeward  to  the  sea-otters  found 
there  at  such  times,  with  their  heads  stuck  into  the  beds  of  kelp 
to  avoid  the  wind.  The  noise  of  the  gale  is  greater  than  that 
made  by  the  stealthy  movements  of  the  hunters,  who,  armed 


62  ALASKA. 

each  with  a  short,  heavy,  wooden  dnb,  dispatch  the  auimals, 
one  after  another,  without  alarming  the  whole  body,  and  in  this 
way  two  Aleuts,  brothers,  were  known  to  have  slain  seventy- 
eight  in  less  than  an  hour  and  a  half. 

There  is  no  driving  these  animals  out  upon  land.  They  are 
fierce  and  courageous,  and,  when  surprised  by  a  man  between 
themselves  and  the  water,  they  will  make  for  the  sea,  straight 
without  any  regard  for  the  hunter,  their  progress,  by  a  succes- 
sion of  short  leaps,  beiug  very  rapid  for  a  small  distance.  The 
greatest  care  is  taken  b^^  the  sea-otter  hunters  on  Saauach. 
They  have  lived  in  the  dead  of  a  severe  winter  six  weeks  at  a 
time  without  kindling  a  fire,  and  with  certain  winds  they  never 
light  one.  They  do  not  smoke,  nor  do  they  scatter  or  empty 
food-refuse  on  the  beaches.  Of  all  this  I  am  assured  by  one 
who  is  perhaps  the  first  white  eye-witness  of  this  winter-hunt- 
ing, as  he  lived  on  the  island  through  that  of  1872-73,  and 
could  not  be  induced  to  repeat  it. 

The  hunting  by  use  of  nets  calls  up  the  strange  dissimilarity 
existing  now,  as  it  has  in  all  time  past,  between  the  practice  of 
the  Atka  and  Atton  Aleuts  and  that  of  those  of  Ounalashka  and 
the  eastward,  as  given  above.  These  people  capture  the  sea- 
otter  in  nets,  from  IG  to  18  feet  long  and  6  to  10  feet  wide,  with 
coarse  meshes,  made  nowadays  of  twine,  but  formerly  of 
sinew. 

On  the  kelp-beds  these  nets  are  spread  out,  and  the  natives 
withdraw  and  watch.  The  otters  come  to  sleep  or  rest  on  these 
places,  and  get  entangled  in  the  meshes  of  the  nets,  seeming  to 
make  little  or  no  effort  to  escape,  paralyzed  as  it  were  by  fear, 
and  fall  in  this  way  easily  into  the  hands  of  the  trappers,  who 
tell  me  that  they  have  caught  as  many  as  six  at  one  time  in  one 
of  these  small  nets,  and  frequently  get  three.  They  also  watch 
for  surf-holes  or  caves  in  the  bluffs,  and,  when  one  is  found  to 
which  a  seaotter  is  in  the  habit  of  resorting,  they  set  this  net 
by  spreading  it  over  the  entrance,  and  usually  capture  the  an- 
imal. 

No  injury  whatever  is  done  to  these  frail  nets  by  the  sea- 
otters,  strong  animals  as  they  are  ;  only  stray  sea-lions  destroy 
them.  The  Atka  people  have  never  been  known  to  hunt  sea- 
otters  without  nets,  while  the  people  of  Ounalashka  and  the 
eastward  have  never  been  known  to  use  them.  The  salt-water 
and  kelp  seem  to  act  as  a  disinfectant  to  the  net,  so  that  the 
smell  of  it  does  not  repel  or  alarm  the  shy  animal. 


CHAPTER    VI. 

THE     CONDITIOX     OF    AFFAIRS     ON     THE      SEAL 
ISLANDS,     PEYBILOV    GKOUP. 

THE  DISCOVERY  OF   THE  ISLANDS. 

When  the  Eussians  first  came  into  the  country,  in  1700-'G5, 
the  abundance  of  sea-otter  skins  and  their  immensely-greater 
value  than  that  of  any  others  found,  caused  very  little  atten- 
tion to  be  paid  to  the  skins  of  fur-seals  or  those  of  other  aui- 
mnls;  but  the  great  diminution  of  otter-skins  toward  the  end 
of  1777-'78  raised  anew  the  question,  often  asked  the  natives 
but  in  vain,  as  to  where  the  fur-seal  bred,  such  numbers  of 
them  were  seen  every  year  in  the  spring  passing  north  and  in 
the  autumn  going  south  through  the  narrow  channels,  straits, 
&c.,  between  the  Aleutian  Islands.  This  regular  routine  of 
travel  followed  by  these  animals  every  year  pointed  to  some 
unknown  breeding-ground  in  Bering  Sea,  and  search  was  made 
for  it,  resulting  in  the  discovery  of  the  group  under  discussion, 
in  1786-'87,  by  Gehrman  Prybilov,  commanding  a  small  schoon- 
er, and  serving  one  of  the  twenty-eight  different  trading-com- 
panies and  traders  then  about  the  Aleutian  Archipelago.  The 
islands  were  without  population,  or  the  traces  even  of  human 
habitation. 

The  island  of  Saint  George  was  first  discovered  and  named 
after  the  little  vessel  commanded  byPrybilov,*  and  in  the  follow- 
ing year,  July,  1787,  the  island  of  Saint  Paul  was  noticed  by 
the  men  stationed  at  Saint  George  looming  on  the  northwest 
horizon,  twenty-seven  miles  distant. 

Prybilov  endeavored  to  keep  the  discovery  to  himself,  but  in 
less  than  a  month  after  his  return  to  Ounalashka  it  was  well 
known.  The  competition  there  was  so  lively,  that  as  many  as 
six  companies  established  themselves  at  once  on  the  Seal  Islands, 
and  a  number  of  irregular  visitors  now  and  then  appeared.  The 
rapacity  and  shiftlessness  of  their  management  is  well  described 
by  a  Russian  historian,  from  whom  I  have  translated  extracts 
bearing  upon  this  subject,  and  which  will  be  found  in  its  proper 

*  Prybilov  died  at  Sitkii  while  ia  comiimud  of  the  ship  "  Three  Saiuts," 
March,  1796. 


G4  ALASKA. 

place.  In  1799  the  Knssiau  American  Company  received  the 
niouo[)()ly  of  all  Alaska,  and  it  at  once  organized  a  colony  of 
''  one  liundred  and  thirty-seven  souls"  at  Sitkaand  Ounalashka, 
principally  natives  of  the  latter  place,  and  planted  the  settle- 
ments which  still  exist  on  the  islands,  and  after  many  years  of 
most  faulty  management  of  the  sealing  business  they  came  to 
regard  it  with  so  gpod  an  eye  to  its  preservation  and  perpetua- 
tion, that  their  rules  and  regulations  in  regard  to  these  points 
are  still  in  force,  no  subsequent  observation  having  suggested 
an  improvement  on  them  until  the  date  of  the  writer's  arrival 
on  the  islands,  April,  1872. 

Too  much  credit  cannot  be  given  to  certain  agents  of  the  old 
Russian  company,  and  a  countryman  of  ours,  in  1868-09,*  who 
have  by  their  attention  and  action  saved  this  most  interesting 
and  valuable  exhibition  of  animal  life  from  the  wanton,  improv- 
ident destruction  which  has  been  visited  upon  the  great  fur-seal 
rookeries  of  the  Southern  Ocean. 

The  fact  that  the  fur-seals  frequent  these  islands,  and  those 
of  Bering  and  Copper,  on  the  Eussiau  side,  to  the  exclusion  of 
all  other  land,  is  at  first  a  little  singular;  but  when  we  come  to 
examine  the  subject  we  find  that  these  animals,  when  they 
come  out  to  lie  two  or  three  months  on  the  land,  as  they  must 
do  by  their  habit  during  the  breeding-season,  require  a  cool, 
moist  atmosphere ;  also,  firm  and  dry  land,  or  dry  rock,  upon 
which  to  take  their  positions  and  remain  for  the  season;  if  the 
rookery-ground  is  hard  and  flat,  puddles  are  formed,  making  a 
slime,  w  hich  very  quickly  takes  the  hair  off  the  animals;  hence 
they  carefully  avoid  any  such  landing.  If  they  occupy  a  sandy 
shore,  the  rain  beats  the  sand  into  their  large,  sensitive  eyes,  and 
into  their  fur,  so  that  they  are  obliged  from  irritation  to  leave. 
The  Seal  Islands  now  under  discussion  offer  very  remarkable 
advantages  for  landing,  especially  Saint  Paul,  where  the  ground 
of  basaltic  rock  and  of  volcanic  tufa  or  cement  slopes  up  grad- 
ually from  the  sea,  making  a  suitable  resting-place  for  millions 
of  these  intelligent  animals,  which  lie  out  here  two  and  three 
months  every  year  in  perfect  peace  and  contentment. 

There  is  no  ground  of  this  character  offered  elsewhere  in  the 
country,  on  the  Aleutians,  on  the  mainland,  or  on  Saint  Mat- 
thew's, or  Saint  Lawrence ;  the  latter  islands  were  surveyed 
during  the  past  season  to  settle  this  question,  and  the  notes 
will  be  found  in  the  appendix. 

*  H.  M.  Hutchiusou. 


ALASKA  65 

I.   DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  ISLANDS. 

The  Prybilov  gi'oupof  fur-seal  islands  occupy  tbe  most  iso- 
lated poitiou  of  any  land  in  Bering-  Sea,  the  three  nearest  land- 
l)oints  to  them  being  nearly  equidistant;  Saint  Matthew's 
jind  Xunivok  Islands,  Cape  isewenh;im,  on  the  mainland,  and 
Ounalashka  Island,  all  about  one  hundred  and  eighty  miles  off; 
and  in  this  location  ocean-currents  from  the  great  Pacific,  to 
the  southward,  warmer  than  the  normal  temperature  of  their 
latitude,  ebb  and  flow  around  them  on  their  way  to  the  Arctic 
and  elsewhere,  and  give  rise  in  this  way  during  the  summer 
months  and  early  autumn  to  constant  thick,  humid  fogs  and 
drizzling  mists  which  hang  in  heavy  banks  over  the  islands 
and  sea,  seldom  breaking  away  to  indicate  a  pleasant  day. 

By  the  middle  or  end  of  October,  high,  cold  winds  carry  off 
the  moisture  and  clear  up  the  air,  and  by  the  end  of  January 
or  early  in  February,  usually  bring  down  from  the  north  and 
northwest  great  fields  of  broken  ice,  not  very  heavy  or  thick, 
but  still  covering  the  whole  surface  of  the  sea,  shutting  in  the 
land  completely,  and  hushing  the  wonted  roar  of  the  surf  for 
a  month  or  six  weeks  at  a  time.  In  exceptionally  cold  seasons, 
for  three  and  even  four  months  the  coast  will  be  ice-bound;  and 
winters,  on  the  other  hand,  occur,  like  the  last  one,  (1873-'74,) 
in  which  not  even  the  sight  of  an  ice-floe  was  recorded,  and 
there  was  very  little  skating  on  the  little  lakes,  but  this  is  not 
often  the  case.  The  breaking  up  of  winter-weather  usually 
commences  about  the  first  week  in  April,  the  ice  beginning  to 
leave  or  dissolve  at  that  time  or  a  little  later,  so  that  by  the 
1st  or  the  oth  of  May  generally,  the  beaches  and  rocky  sea- 
margins  are  clear  and  free  from  ice  and  snow  ;  although  snow 
occasionally  lies  in  gullies  and  leeward  hill-slopes,  where  it  has 
drifted  during  the  winter,  until  the  end  of  July  and  middle  of 
August.  Fog,  damp,  thick,  and  heavy,  closes  in  about  the  end 
of  May,  and  this,  the  usual  sign  of  summer,  holds  on  steadily 
until  the  middle  or  end  of  October. 

The  periods  of  change  are  exceedingly  irregular  in  autumn 
and  spring,  but  in  summer  the  uniformity  of  the  weather,  with 
cool,  moist,  shady,  gray  ibg,  is  constant,  and  to  this  certainty 
of  favorable  climate,  coupled  with  the  perfect  isolation  and  ex- 
ceeding fitness  of  tne  ground,  is  due,  without  doubt,  the  prefer- 
ence for  it  manifested  by  the  warm-blooded  animals  which 
come  here  every  year,  to  the  practical  exclusion  of  all  other 
ground,  in  thousands  and  hundreds  of  thousands,  to  breed. 
5  AL 


66  ALxVSKA. 

Tbe  climate  of  these  islauds  lias  received  careful  attention, 
as  will  be  seen  by  reference  to  the  report  of  Mr.  Charles  P.  Fish, 
of  the  United  States  Signal-Service,  to  which  reference  may  be 
made  for  more  detailed  information  upon  the  subject.  I  sim- 
ply remark  here  that  the  winter  of  1872-73  was  one  of  great 
severity,  and,  according  to  the  natives,  such  as  is  very  seldom 
experienced  j  but  cold  as  it  was,  however,  the  lowest  marking 
by  thermometer  was  but  12°  Fahrenheit  below  zero,  and  that 
for  a  few  hours  only  during  a  day  in  February,  while  the  mean 
of  the  month  was  18^  above.  The  coldest  month,  March,  gave 
a  mean  of  12°  above,  while  the  mean  of  a  usual  winter  is  no 
lower  than  22°  or  20°;  but  the  high  north  winds  which  I  ex- 
perienced during  that  winter  were  blowing  more  than  three- 
fourths  of  the  time,  and  made  all  outdoor  exercise  impractica- 
ble. On  a  daj'  in  March,  for  example,  its  velocity  was  at  the 
rate  of  eighty-eight  miles  per  hour,  with  as  low  a  temperature 
as  —4°!  With  a  wind  blowing  but  twenty  or  twenty-live  miles 
an  hour,  at  a  much  higher  temperature,  as  at  15°  or  16°  above 
zero,  it  is  necessary  to  be  most  thoroughly  wrapped  np  to 
guard  against  freezing,  if  any  journey  is  to  be  made  ou  foot. 

There  are  here,  virtually,  but  two  seasons,  winter  and  summer. 
To  the  former  belong  November  and  the  following  months  up  to 
the  end  of  April,  with  a  mean  of  20°  to  28°,  while  the  transition 
to  summer  is  but  a  slight  elevation  in  temperature,  only  15°  to 
20°;  of  the  summer  months  July  is  perhaps  the  w.'.rmest,  usually  ^ 
with  a  mean  of  4G°  to  5G°  in  ordinary  seasons. 

It  is  astonishing  how  rapidly  snow  melts  here  at  a  single 
degree  above  freezing,  and  after  several  consecutive  days  in 
April  or  May  at  34°  and  3G°,  grass  begins  to  grow,  even  if  it  be 
under  melting  drifts  and  the  frost  is  many  feet  in  depth  under 
it.  In  the  appendix  I  have  placed  a  table,  compiled  from  the 
report  of  Mr.  Fish,  above  referred  to,  as  interesting  in  show- 
ing the  character  of  a  very  severe  winter  ou  the  Seal  Islands.^ 

Theforraation  of  these  islands  was  recent,  geologically  speak- 
ing, and  due  to  direct  volcanic  agency,  Vv'liich  lifted  them  abruptly 
though  gradually  Irom  the  sea-bed,  building  upon  them  below 
the  water's-level  as  they  rose,  and  subsequently  above,  by  spout- 
holes  or  craters,  from  which  water-{)ud<lled  breccia  and  vol- 
canic ashes  and  tufa  were  thrown.  Soon  after  the  elevation 
and  deposition  of  the  igneous  matter,  all  volcanic  action  must 
have  ceased,  though  the  clearly  blown-out  throat  and  smooth, 
sharpcat,  funnel-like  wails  of  a  crater  on  Otter  Island  (one  of 


ALASKA.  67 

the  group,  six  miles  south  of  Saint  Paul's)  would  seem  to 
indicate  quite  recent  act.ion,  and  this  is  the  only  i)lace  on  the 
Prybilov  Islands  where  snything  has  been  discharged  from  a 
crater  at  so  late  a  date. 

Since  the  period  of  the  upheaval  of  the  group  under  discus- 
sion the  sea  has  done  much  to  modify  and  enlarge  the  most 
important  island,  Saint  Paul's,  while  the  others,  Saint  George 
and  Otter,  being  lifted  abruptly  above  the  power  of  water  and 
ice  to  carry  and  deposit  sand,  soil,  and  bowlders,  are  but  little 
changed. 

Saint  Paul's  Island  is  the  largest  and  far  the  most  import- 
ant and  valuableof  the  whole  group.  Upon  my  first  arrival  there 
in  April,  1872,  I  was  surprised  to  find  that  no  steps  had  been 
taken  to  obtain  an  accurate  or  even  approximately  correct  idea 
of  the  size  and  shape  of  it.  I  at  once  set  to  work  upon  it,  and 
give  herewith  as  the  result  of  this  labor  the  tirst  definite  figures 
as  to  its  dimension  and  area,  together  with  a  map  showing  the 
outline  and  topography,  with  special  sketches  of  the  area  and 
position  of  each  fur-seal  "rookery"  or  breeding-ground. 

The  Keef  Point  of  the  island  stands  in  latitude  57°  8'  north, 
and  west  longitude  170°  12',  being  the  most  southerly  land. 
The  island  is  In  its  greatest  length,  between  northeast  and 
southwest  points,  13  miles  air-line,  and  in  greatest  width  a 
little  less  than  six.  It  has  a  superficial  area  of  about  33 
square  miles,  or  21,120  acres,  of  diversified,  rough,  and  rocky 
uplands,  small,  rounded  hills,  which  either  set  down  boldly  to  the 
sea,  or  fade  into  wet,  mossy  flats  and  dry  drifting  sand-dune 
tracts.  It  has  42  miles  of  shore-line,  IGi  of  which  are  used 
by  the  fur-seals  en  masse. 

At  the  time  of  its  first  upheaval  above  the  sea  it  must 
have  presented  the  appearance  of  ten  or  twelve  little  rockj-- 
blufi"  islets  or  points,  upon  some  of  \vhich  were  craters,  vomit- 
ing breccia  and  cinders,  but  with  little  or  no  lava  overflowing ; 
the  plutouic  power  after  this  ceased  to  act,  and  the  sea  com- 
menced the  work  of  building  on  to  the  skeleton  thus  created, 
and  today  so  thorough  and  successful  has  it  been  in  its  labor 
of  sand-shifting,  together  with  the  aid  of  ice-floes,  in  their  ac- 
tion of  grinding,  lifting,  and  shoving,  that  nearly  all  of  the 
scattered  islets,  within  the  present  area  of  the  island,  are  com- 
pletely bound  together  by  bars  of  sand  and  bowlders,  which  are 
raised  above  the  highest  tides  by  winds  that  whirl  the  sand  up 


68  ALASKA. 

as  it  drives  out  from  the  wash  of  surf,  and  roclis  lifted  and 
pusbed  up  by  ice-fields. 

The  saud  wbicb  plays  so  important  a  part  in  tbe  formation 
of  Saint  Paul's  Island,  and  wbicb  is  almost  entirely  wanting  on 
and  around  tbeotbers  in  this  group,  is  largely  composed  of  ^o- 
raminifera,  together  with  Diatomacea  mixed  in  with  tbe  volcanic 
base.  It  changes  color  like  a  chameleon  as  it  passes  from  M'et 
to  dry,  being  a  rich  steely-black  at  tbe  surf-margin,  then  dry- 
ing out  to  a  soft  purplish  brown  and  gray,  succeeding  to  tints 
most  delicate,  of  reddish  and  pale  gray  when  warmed  by  tbe 
sun  and  drifting  with  the  wind.  The  sand-dune  tracts  on  this 
island  are  really  attractive  in  tbe  summer  at  certain  times 
when  the  weather  is  pleasant ;  the  most  luxuriant  grass  and  a 
variety  of  beautiful  flowers  exist  in  profusion  on  them. 

As  these  sand  and  bowlder  bars  were  forming  on  Saint  Paul's 
Island,  in  making  across  from  inlet  to  inlet,  they  inclosed  small 
collections  of  sea-water,  thus  giving  rise  to  a  number  of  lakes, 
Avbicb  nearly  all  become  fresh  ;  in  them  are  no  reptiles  or  fish, 
but  a  great  number  of  minute  Eotifcra  sport  about  in  all  of 
them  whenever  tbe  water  is  exan)ined  ;  several  water-plants 
and  alga3  flourish,  especially  so  in  the  large  lake,  which  is  very 
shallow. 

The  total  absence  of  a  harbor  in  the  group  is  much  to  be  re- 
gretted. The  village  of  Saint  Paul,  as  will  be  seen  by  reference 
to  the  map,  is  located  so  as  to  command  the  best  landings  that 
can  be  made  from  vessels  during  the  jirevaleuce  of  any  winds 
other  than  southerly  ;  from  these  there  is  no  shelter  for  vessels, 
unless  they  run  around  to  the  north  side,  where  they  are  unable 
to  hold  communication  or  to  discharge.  At  Saint  George  mat- 
ters are  still  worse,  for  all  northerly,  westerly',  and  easterly 
winds  drive  the  shipping  away  from  the  village  roadstead,  and 
weeks  often  pass  at  either  island  before  a  cargo  is  landed  at  its 
destination.  The  approach  to  Saint  Paul  during  thick  weather 
is  very  hazardous,  for  the  land  is  mostly  low,  and  does  not  loom 
uj)  like  Saint  George  through  tbe  fog;  there  are,  besides,  nu- 
merous reefs  making  out,  which  are  not  found  around  the  other 
island.  Captain  liaker  carefully  sounded  out  these  localities 
last  summer,  while  waiting  for  us,  and  I  have  placed  the  result 
of  this  valuable  work  on  my  chart,  so  that  the  next  captain  of 
a  revenue-vessel  coming  here  will  be  able  to  feel  his  way  in 
with  some  degree  of  security. 

Saint  George's  Island  is  next  in  order  of  importance  and 


ALASKA.  69 

size,  and  in  regard  to  its  size,  sliape,  &c.,  I  found  the  same 
want  of  Icnowledgo  experienced  at  Saint  Paul's ;  a  survey,  which 
I  immediately  made  on  my  first  arrival,  June,  1873,  gives  to 
the  island  a  length  of  not  quite  ten  and  a  half  miles  by  four 
and  a  quarter  between  points  of  the  greatest  width.  It  has  an 
area  of  about  twenty-seven  square  miles ;  has  twenty-nine 
miles  of  coast-line,  of  which  only  two  and  a  quarter  are  visited 
by  the  fur-seals,  and  which  is  in  fact  all  the  eligible  landing- 
ground  afforded  them  by  the  structure  of  the  islaiul,  which 
rises  evtu-ywhere  else,  save  at  the  village-front,  abruptly  froni 
the  water,  which  breaks  boldly  at  the  bases  of  the  lofty  cliffs 
all  around.  ISearly  half  of  the  shore-line  of  Saint  Paul  is  a 
sand-beach,  while  on  Saint  George  there  is  less  than  a  mile  of 
it  all  put  together,  viz,  a  few  hundred  yards  in  front  of  the 
village,  the  same  extent  at  the  Garden  Cove,  southeast  side, 
and  less  than  half  a  mile  at  Zapaduie,  on  the  south  side.  Sev- 
eral thousand  sea-lions  hold  exclusive  though  shy  possession  of 
half  a  mile  of  good  landing  on  the  east  side. 

"  Tohtoi  .Ifec.s,"  or  East  Cape,  lies  in  north  latitude  5Go  37'  1",* 
and  the  west  end,  or  '■'■  Balnoi  il/ees,"  5G°  38' 3",*  with  west 
longitudes  of  169°  27'*  and  109°  44'*,  respectively,  while  the 
village,  on  the  north  shore,  is  in  50°  3flL'  IC'.G,  169°  19'  6". 

On  tlie  north  shore  of  the  island,  three  miles  west  from  the 
village,  a  grand  bluff  wall  of  basalt  and  tufa  intercalated  rises 
abruptly  from  the  sea  to  a  height  of  920  feet  at  the  reach  of 
greatest  elevation,  and  runs  clear  around  the  island  to  Zapad- 
nie,  a  distance  of  some  ten  miles,  without  affording  a  single 
passage-way  up  from  or  down  to  the  sea.  Upon  the  innumer- 
able ledges  and  iu  countless  chinks  and  crannies  millions  of 
waterfowl  breed  during  the  summer-months. 

The  general  elevation  of  Saint  George,  while  not  great,  is  on 
an  average  three  times  as  great  as  that  of  Saint  Paul,  which  is 
quite  low,  and  slopes  gently  to  the  sea  east  and  north.  But 
Saint  George  rises  abruptly,  with  exceptional  spots  for  land- 
ing. The  highest  land  on  Saint  George  is  930  feet,  and  the 
summit  of  the  high  bluffs  before  mentioned ;  that  on  Saint 
Paul  is  Boga  Slov  Hill,  GOO  feet.  All  elevations  on  either  island 
10  or  12  feet  above  sea-level  are  rough  and  hummocky,  with 

*  These  observations  are  taken  from  llnssian  authority,  and  are  several 
miles  out  of  the  way,  but  the  only  ones  available.  That  of  the  village  was 
determined  hy  Lieutenant  Mayuard  last  summer,  July  10,  and  may  bo  cou- 
Bidered  accurate. 


70  ALASKA. 

the  exceptiou  of  the  summits  of  a  few  ciutler-hills.  The  supply 
of  water  is  abundaut  aud  good.  The  only  liviug  stream  of 
water  ou  the  Seal  Islands  is  found  on  Saint  George,  a  small 
clear  brook  that  empties  into  the  Garden  Cove ;  but  the  area 
covered  by  fresh-water  lakes  on  this  island  is  very  much  less 
than  that  of  Saint  Paul. 

Weathered  out  or  washed  from  the  basalt  aud  i^ockets  of 
olivine  on  the  islands  are  aggregates  of  augite,  seen  most 
abundant  on  the  summit  slopes  of  Ahlucheyeh  Hill,  Saint 
George.  Specimens  from  the  stratified  bands  of  old,  friable, 
gray  lavas,  so  conspicuous  on  the  bluffs  of  the  north  shore  of 
this  island,  show  the  existence  of  hornblende  and  vitreous  feld- 
spar in  considerable  quantity,  while  on  the  south  shore,  near 
the  Garden  Cove,  is  a  large  dike  of  a  bluish  and  greenish-gray 
Ijhonolitic  rock,  in  which  numerous  small  crystals  of  spinel  are 
found.  A  dike  with  well-defined  walls  of  old,  close-grained, 
clay-colored  lava  is  close  by  the  village  of  Saint  George,  about 
a  quarter  of  a  mile  east  Irom  the  lauding,  in  the  face  of  breccia 
bluffs  that  rise  from  the  sea.  It  is  the  only  example  of  its  kind 
on  these  islands. 

The  foundations  of  the  islands,  all  of  them,  are  basalt,  some 
compact,  grayish-white,#but  most  of  them  exceedingly  porous 
and  ferruginous ;  and  upon  this  solid  floor  are  many  hills  of 
brown  and  red  basaltic  tufasf  cinder-heaps,  &c.  "Polovina 
Sopka,"  the  second  point  in  elevation  on  Saint  Paul's,  (550  feet,) 
is  almost  entirely  built  up  of  red  scorite  and  breccia.  The 
bluffs  at  the  shore,  "Polovina  Point,"  show  the  hard  basaltic 
underpinning  upon  which  the  hill  rests.  The  tufas  ou  both 
islands  decompose  and  weather  into  fertile  soil,  which  the 
severe  climate  renders  useless.  There  is  not  a  trace  of  a  granitic 
or  gneissic  rock  found  in  situ.  Several  metamorphic  bowlders 
have  been  collected,  which  were  dropped  upou  the  beaches  by 
ice-Hoes,  brought  dowu  by  the  strong  northwesters  from  the 
Asiatic  coast. 

The  black-brown  tufa  and  breccia  bluffs  at  the  East  Laud- 
ing, Saint  Paul's  Island,  rise  abruptly  from  the  sea  there  GO  to 
80  feet,  with  stratified  horizontal  bands  of  a  light-gray  calcare- 
ous conglomerate  or  cement,  in  which  are  imbedded  sundry 
fossils  characteristic  of  the  Tertiary  age,  such  as  Cardium  green- 
landicum,  decor<ifuni,  Astartc  pcctuncida.,  &c.  This  is  the  only 
locality  in  the  Prybilov  Islands  where  any  paleontological  evi- 
dence of  their  age  can  be  found. 


ALASKA.  7 1 

Otter  Island  rauks  tliiid  in  the  gronp,  and  lies  six  miles 
south-soutliwest  froin  the  "Reef  Point"  of  Saint  Paul's  Island. 
It  is  about  a  mile  and  a  qnarter  in  greatest  length  by  less  than 
half  a  mile  in  extreme  width.  The  east,  south,  and  west  shores 
are  bold  and  bluffy,  not  to  be  approached  by  men,  and  hardly 
by  seals,  during  rough  weather ;  but  the  north  shore,  for  most 
of  its  extent,  rises  quite  gradually  from  the  surf;  the  beach  is, 
however,  broken  and  rocky,  with  uo  sand.  The  highest  point 
is  the  summit  of  the  bluffs  on  the  west  end,  some  300  feet.  A 
small  shallow  lake  lies  near  the  north  shore  and  landing;  water 
impure  aud  uncertain. 

On  this  island  there  is  no  breeding-ground  occupied  by  the 
fur-seals,  but  the  non-breeding  seals  lie  out  here  in  large  num- 
bers off  and  on  during  the  season. 

Waleus  Island,  fourth  and  last,  is  of  little  or  no  commer- 
cial importance,  but  a  very  interesting  spot — a  mare  table-rock, 
elevated  but  slightly  above  surf-wash,  a  quarter  of  a  mile  in 
length  and  a  hundred  yards  in  width,  aud,  like  Otter  Island, 
has  bold  water  all  around,  and,  better  still,  entirely  free  from 
reefs  or  sunken  rocks.  It  lies  six  miles  south-southeast  from 
northeast  point  of  Saint  Paul's.  There  is  uo  fresh  water 
on  it. 

It  is  not  resorted  to  by  the  fur-?eals,  but  several  hundred 
male  walrus  {Ro,smarus)  are  found  here  most  of  the  year,  and  a 
few  sea-lions  breed  there.  On  account  of  rough  weather,  fogs, 
&c.,  the  island  is  seldom  visited  by  the  natives  of  Saint  Paul, 
aud  then  only  during  the  egging-season,  in  June  and  July,when 
the  island  is  literally  swarming  with  breeding  water-fowl. 

The  opportunity  afforded  here  of  seeing  the  strange  walrus- 
herds  to  the  very  best  advantage  is  not  equaled  by  any  other 
place  in  the  Territory.  Here  can  also  be  plainly  seen  the  move- 
ments and  habits  of  myriads  of  nesting  water-fowl. 

Vegetation  on  these  islands,  with  the  exception  of  the  last 
named,  such  as  it  is,  is  fresh  and  luxuriant  during  the  growing 
season  of  June  and  July  and  early  Au,gust,  but  the  beauty  and 
economic  value  of  trees  and  shiubbery  seem  to  be  denied  to 
them  by  climatic  conditions,  though  I  am  strongly  inclined  to 
believe  that  any  of  the  hanly  shrubs  and  trees  indigenous  at 
Sitka  and  Kodiak  would  grow  here  if  transplanted  properly  on 
some  of  the  southern  hill-slopes  most  favored  by  soil,  drainage, 
aud  position  for  shelter;  but  they  would  never  mature  their 
seed,  owing  to  the  want  of  suidight  to  ripen,  so  that  reproduc- 


72  ALASKA. 

tiou  of  their  kiutl  would  not  follow.  There  arc,  however,  ten 
or  twelve  species  of  grasses  growing  in  every  variety,  irom 
close,  curly,  compact  tufts  on  the  seal-grounds,  to  tall  stalks, 
standing  in  favorable  seasons  waist-high  ;  the  "wheat"  of  the 
north,  [Elymiis,)  together  with  over  a  huudr,  d  varieties  of  an- 
nuals, perennials,  sphagnum,  cryptogamic  plants,  &c.,  all  flour- 
ishing in  their  respective  positions,  and  covering  nearly  every 
Ijoint  upon  which  plants  can  grow  with  a  living  coat  of  the 
greenest  of  all  greens,  as  there  is  not  sunlight  enough  to  ripen 
any  deep  tinge  of  yellow  into  it — so  green  that  it  gives  a  deep- 
blue  tint  to  gray  noonday  shadows,  contrasting  pleasantly  with 
the  varied  russets,  reds,  yellows,  and  grays  of  the  lichen-cov- 
ered rocks  and  the  bronzed  purple  of  the  wild  wheat  on  the 
sand-dune  tracts  in  autumn,  and  the  innumerable  blue,  yellow, 
pink,  and  white  blossoms  everywhere  interspersed.  Occasion- 
ally by  looking  closely  into  the  thickest  masses  of  verdure  our 
common  wild  violet  will  be  found.  The  floral  display  predomi- 
nates greatly  on  Saint  Paul,  owing  to  the  absence  of  the  same 
extent  of  warm  sand  dune  country  on  the  other  islands. 

By  the  end  of  August  and  first  week  in  September  of  normal 
seasons,  the  small  edible  berries  [Empetrum  nigrum  and  liuhus 
chamccmonis)  are  ripe,  which  are  found  in  considerable  quanti- 
ties, the  former  being  small,  watery,  and  black,  about  the  size 
of  an  English  or  black  currant,  and  the  other  resembling  an 
unrii:»e  and  partly-decayed  raspberry.  They  are  the  only  fruit 
aflorded  by  the  islands,  and  are  of  course  keenly  relished  by 
the  natives. 

There  are  very  few  insects  on  the  Seal  Islands.  A  large 
flesh-fly  appears  during  the  summer  in  a  striking  manner,  and 
settles  upon  the  long  grass-blades  which  flourish  on  the  killing- 
grounds  especially,  settling  by  tens  of  millions,  causing  the 
vegetation  over  the  whole  slaughtering-field  and  vicinity  to 
fairly  droop  to  the  earth  as  though  beaten  down  by  a  tornado 
of  wind  and  rain.  Our  common  house-fly  is  not  present,  and 
those  just  mentioned  never  come  into  the  dwellings  unless  by 
accident.  It  docs  not  annoy  man  or  beast.  There  are  no  mos- 
quitoes. A  small  gnat  flits  about,  inofleuibive,  taking  shelter  in 
the  grass. 

Aside  from  the  seal-life  on  the  Prybilov  Islands,  there  are  no 
indigenous  mammalia  with  the  exception  of  blue  and  white 
■foxes,  and  the  lemming,  {Myodes  ohensis,)  which  latter  is  re- 
stricted, singularly  enough,  to  the  island  of  Saint  George,wher6 


ALASKA.  73 

it  is  exceedingly  abundant.  Its  burrows  and  paths  under  and 
among  the  grassy  hnmmocks  and  mossy  flats  literally  checker 
ever^"  square  rod  of  land  there  covered  with  this  vegetation  ; 
and  although  Saint  Paul's  Island  lies  but  twenty-nine  miles  to 
the  northwest,  not  a  single  one  of  these  active,  curious  little 
animals  is  found  there. 

The  foxes  (  Vuljws  lagopus)  are  also,  of  their  kind,  restricted 
to  these  islands,  not  being  found  elsewhere,  except  stray  exam- 
ples, which  get  cast  away  on  the  ice  at^Attou  or  Saint  Mat- 
thew's, and  find  here  among  the  countless  chinks  and  crevices 
in  the  basaltic  formation  comfortable  holes  for  their  accommo- 
dation and  retreat,  feeding  fiit  upon  sick  and  pup  seals,  water- 
fowl, and  eggs  during  the  summer,  and  living  through  the  win- 
ter upon  the  bodies  of  seals  left  upon  the  breeding-grounds  and 
the  carcasses  upon  the  killing-fields. 

The  islands  are  as  yet  free  from  rats,  but  mice  have  been 
brought  long  ago  in  ships'  cargoes,  and  are  a  great  pest  in  the 
winter. 

As  might  be  inferred  from  their  formation,  these  islands  pos- 
sess no  mineral  wealth  of  economic  value  whatever. 

Stock  cannot  be  profitably  raised  here ;  the  i^roportion  of 
severe  winter  is  too  great,  as  from  three,  at  least,  to  perhaps 
six  months  of  the  year  they  would  require  feeding  and  water- 
ing, with  good  shelter.  To  furnish  animals  with  hay  and  grain 
is  a  costly  matter,  and  the  dampness  of  the  growing  or  summer 
season  on  both  islands  renders  hay-curing  impracticable. 

Perhai)S  a  few  head  of  hardy  Siberian  cattle  might  pick  up  a 
living  through  a  rough  winter  on  the  north  shore  of  Saint  Paul 
among  the  grassy  sand-dunes  there,  with  nothing  more  than 
shelter  and  water  given  them,  but  the  care  of  them  would 
hardly  return  expenses,  as  the  winter-grazing  ground  would  not 
support  any  great  number  of  animals,  it  being  less  than  two 
square  miles  in  extent,  and  half  of  this  area  being  unpro- 
ductive. 

I  am  strongly  inclined  to  think  that  reindeer  would  make  a 
successful  issue  with  any  struggle  here  that  they  might  have 
for  existence,  and  be  the  source  of  an  excellent  supply,  summer 
and  winter,  of  fresh  meat  for  the  agents  of  the  Government  and 
the  company  who  may  be  living  upon  the  islands.  The  IJus- 
sians,  as  well  as  the  present  occupants  of  the  place,  were  in  the 
habit  of  keeping,  and  still  do  keep,  a  few  head  of  cattle,  and  a 
number  of  hogs  aud  chickens  throughout  winters  for  table  use, 


74  ALASKA. 

but  it  is  without  profit,  except  as  a  luxury.  The  natives  take 
their  poultry  into  their  houses,  and  relish  their  pork  after  the 
hogs  have  fed  fiit  upon  seal- carrion,  and  therefore  it  is  profitable 
to  them. 

In  the  appendix  will  be  found  a  detailed  chapter  upon  the 
ornithology  of  these  islands,  but  the  great  exhibition  of  i^inni- 
l)etlia  preponderates  over  every  other  form  of  animal  life.  Still 
the  spectacle  of  birds  nesting  and  breeding,  as  they  do  on  Saint 
George's  Island,  to  the  number  of  millions,  flecking  the  high 
basaltic  bluffs,  (a  shore-line  of  that  character  twenty  miles  in 
length,)  black,  brown,  and  white,  as  they  perch  or  cling  to  the 
clifts  in  the  labor  of  incubation,  is  a  sight  of  exceeding  interest 
and  constant  novelty,  affording  the  naturalist  opportunity  for 
investigation  into  the  most  minute  details  of  the  reproduction 
of  these  vast  flocks  of  circumboreal  water-lbwl.  Saint  Paul's 
Island,  owing  to  the  low  character  of  its  shore-line,  a  large  por- 
tioQ  of  which  is  but  slightly  elevated  above  the  sea  and  is 
sandy,  is  not  visited  by  such  myriads  of  birds  as  are  seen  at 
Saint  George  ;  but  the  small  rock.  Walrus  Island,  is  iairly  cov- 
ered with  seafowls,  and  the  Otter  Island  bluffs  are  crowded  to 
their  utmost.  The  variety  in  these  millions  of  breeding-birds 
is  not  great,  since  it  consists  of  only  ten  or  twelve  names,  and 
the  whole  list  belonging  to  the  Prybilov  Islands,  stragglers 
and  migratory,  contains  but  forty  species.  Conspicuous  among 
the  last-named  class  is  the  robin,  which  was  brought  from  the 
mainland,  evidently  against  its  own  will,  by  a  storm  or  gale  of 
wind,  as  must  also  be  the  case  with  the  solitary  hawks  and 
owls  occasionally  noticed  here. 

After  the  dead  silence  of  a  long  ice-bound  winter,  the 
arrival  in  the  spring  of  large,  noisy  flocks  of  "choochkies" 
{Phalcris  microceros)  is  most  cheerful  and  interesting.  These 
are  bright,  fearless  little  birds,  with  bodies  generally  plump  and 
fat,  and  come  usually  in  chattering  floclis  by  the  1st  to  the  5th  of 
May.  They  are  caught  by  the  people,  to  any  number  required, 
in  hand  scoop-nets,  as  they  fly  to  and  from  their  nests,  made  in 
the  cliffs  and  among  bowlders.  They  are  succeeded  about  the 
20th  July  by  large  flocks  of  fat,  red-legged  turn-stones,  likewise 
edible,  {Strcpsilas  inicrprcs,)  which  come  in  suddenly  Irom  the 
west  or  north,  where  they  have  been  breeding,  and  stop  on  the 
islands  for  a  mouth  or  six  weeks,  to  feed  fat  upon  the  flesh  flies 
and  their  eggs,  which  swarm  over  the  killing-grounds;  these 
handsome,  red-legged   birds  go   familiarly    among  the   seals, 


ALASKA.  75 

chasing  flies,  gnats,  &c.  They  are  followed,  as  they  leave  in 
September,  by  several  species  of  jacksnipe,  {Friuga  aiul  Chara- 
chius,)  which,  howeyer,  depart  by  the  end  of  October  and  early 
in  November,  and  when  winter  fairly  closes  in  upon  the  islands, 
tlie  loud  roaring,  incessant  seal-din,  together  with  the  screams 
and  darkening  flight  of  innumerable  water-fowl,  are  reidaced 
by  absolute  silence,  marking  out,  as  it  were,  iu  lines  of  sharp 
and  ^ivid  contrast,  summer's  life  and  winter's  death. 

I  have  been  unable  to  discover  a  single  representative  of  the 
reptiles  on  the  islands,  and  a  small  list  only  of  the  fishes  and  mol- 
luscans  rewarded  the  most  carefnl  search.  The  presence  of  such 
great  numbers  of  seals  in  the  water  about  the  islands  during 
five  and  six  months  of  every  year  renders  all  fishing  abortive, 
unless  expeditions  are  made  seven  or  eight  miles,  at  least,  from 
the  land,  with  the  exception  of  halibut,  which  the  natives  cap- 
ture within  two  or  three  miles  of  the  reef-point  and  south 
shore  during  July  and  August ;  but  the  weather  is  usually, 
after  this  season,  too  stormy  and  cold  for  the  fishermeu  to 
venture  in  their  bidarkies  during  the  fall  or  spring. 

II.     THE    NUMBERS    OF    FUR-SEALS  WHICH    ANNUALLY    VISIT 

THE   ISLANDS. 

Until  my  arrival  on  the  Seal  Islancjs,  April,  1872,  no  stejJS 
had  been  taken  toward  ascertaining  the  extent  or  the  impor- 
tance of  these  interests  of  the  Governmentby  either  theTreasury 
agent  in  charge,  or  the  agent  of  the  company  leasing  the  islands. 
This  was  a  matter  of  no  especial  concern  to  the  latter,  but  was 
of  the  first  importance  to  the  Government.  It  had,  however, 
failed  to  obtain  a  definite  knowledge  upon  the  subject,  on  account 
of  the  inaccurate  mode  of  ascertaining  the  number  of  the  seals 
which  had  been  adopted  by  its  agent,  who  relied  upon  an 
assumption  of  the  area  of  the  breeding  "rookeries,"  but  who 
never  took  the  trouble  to  ascertain  the  area  and  position  of 
these  great  seal-grounds  intrusted  to  his  care. 

After  a  careful  study  of  the  subject  during  two  whole  seasons, 
and  a  thorough  review  of  it  during  this  season  of  lS7i,  in  com- 
pany with  my  associate.  Lieutenant  Maynard,  I  propose  to  show 
plainly  and  in  sequence  the  steps  which  have  led  me  to  a  solu- 
tion of  til  3  question  as  to  the  number  of  fur-seals  on  the  Prybi- 
lov  Islands,  together  with  the  determination  of  means  by  which 
the  agent  of  the  GovC'rumeut  will  be  able  to  correctly  report 
upon  the  condition  of  the  seal-life  from  year  to  year. 


76  ALASKA. 

At  tbe  close  of  my  investigation  for  tbe  season  of  1872,  the 
fact  became  evident  that  the  breeding  seals  obeyed  implicitly 
atine,  instinctive  law  of  distribution,  so  that  the  breeding-ground 
occupied  by  them  was  always  covered  by  seals  in  an  exact  ratio, 
greater  or  less,  to  the  area  to  be  held  ;  that  they  always  covered 
the  ground  ev^enly,  never  crowding  in  at  one  place  and  scatter- 
ing at  another ;  that  the  seals  lay  just  as  thickly  together  where 
the  rookery  was  a  small  one  of  only  a  few  thousand,  as  at 
Naspeel,  near  the  village,  as  they  did  where  a  million  of  them 
came  together,  as  at  Northeast  Point. 

This  fact  being  determined,  itis  at  once  plain  tliat  just  as  the 
breeding- grounds  of  the  fur-seal  on  these  islands  expand  or  contract 
in  area  from  their  present  dimensions,  so  the  seals  icill  have  in- 
creased or  diminished. 

Impressed,  therefore,  with  the  necessity  and  the  importance  of 
obtaining  the  exactarea  and  position  of  these  breeding-grounds, 
1  surveyed  them  in  lS72-'7  3  for  that  purpose,  and  resurveyed 
them  this  season  of  1874  ;  the  result  has  been  carefully  drawn 
and  plotted  out,  as  presented  in  the  accompanying  maps. 

The  time  for  taking  these  boundaries  of  the  rookeries  is 
during  the  week  of  their  gr,  atest  expansion,  or  when  they  are 
as  full  as  they  are  to  be  for  the  season,  and  before  the  regular 
system  of  compact,  even  organization  breals  up,  the  seals  then 
scattering  out  in  pods  or  clusters,  straying  far  back,  the  same 
number  covering  then  twice  as  much  ground  in  places  as  they 
did  before,  Avhen  marshaled  on  the  rookery-ground  proper; 
the  breeding-seals  remain  on  the  rookery  perfectly  quiet  an.d 
en  masse  for  a  week  or  ten  days  during  the  period  of  greatest 
expansion,  which  is  between  the  lOtli  and  20th  of  July,  giving 
ample  time  for  the  agent  to  correctly  note  the  exact  boundaries 
of  the  area  covered  by  them  ;  this  step  on  the  part  of  the  Gov- 
ernment officer  puts  him  in  i)ossession  every  year  of  exact  data 
ui)on  which  to  base  a  report  as  to  the  condition  of  the  seal-life, 
as  compared  with  the  year  or  years  previous.  In  this  way  my 
record  of  the  precise  area  and  position  of  the  fur-seal  breeding- 
grounds  on  Saint  Paul's  Ishind  in  the  season  of  1872,  and  that 
of  Saint  George  in  the  season  of  1873,  correctly  serves  as  a 
definite  basis  for  all  time  to  come  u[)on  which  to  found  author- 
itative reports  from  year  to  year  as  to  any  change,  increase,  or 
diminution  of  the  seal-life.  It  is,  therefore,  very  important  that 
the  Government  should  have  an  agent  in  charge  of  these  novel 
and  valuable  interests  who  is  capable,  by  virtue  of  education 


ALASKA.  77 

and  energy,  to  correctly  observe  and  report  the  area  and  posi- 
tion of  tbe  rookeries  year  by  year. 

With  a  knowledge  of  tbe  superficial  area  of  these  breeding- 
grounds,  the  way  is  opened  to  a  very  interesting  calculation 
as  to  the  number  of  the  fur-seals  upon  them.  For  an  estimate 
based  apparently  upon  good  foundations,  the  following  is  the 
plan  by  which  I  have  been  guided : 

When  the  adult  males  and  females  (fifteen  of  the  latter  to 
every  one  of  the  former)  all  arrive  upon  the  rookery,  I  think  a 
space  a  little  less  than  two  feet  square  to  each  female  is  a  large 
one  for  that  required  by  each  animal,  in  obedience  to  its  habit, 
and  may  safely  be  said  to  be  under  the  mark  ;  now,  every  female 
or  '•'■eow^'  on  its  tico  feet  square  doubles  herself ,  that  is,  brings 
forth  her  young,  and  in  a  few  days,  or  about  a  week  after  its 
birth,  she  visits  the  water,  and  is  not  one-quarter  of  the  time 
on  h\nd  again  during  the  season.  In  this  way  it  is  clear  that 
the  female  seals  almost  double  their  number  on  the  rookery- 
grounds  without  causing  the  exj)ansion  of  the  same  beyond  the 
limits  that  would  be  required  by  the  adults  alone ;  for  every 
100,000  breeding-seals  will  be  found  to  consist  of  more  than 
85,000  females  and  less  than  15,000  males,  and  in  a  few  weeks 
after  the  landing  of  the  females,  they  will  show  about  180,000 
males,  females,  and  young,  on  tbe  same  area  of  ground  occu- 
pied previous  to  the  birth  of  the  "  pups." 

I^Tow  the  males,  being  treble  and  quadruple  the  size  of  the 
females,  require  about  four  feet  square  for  their  use  on  this 
same  ground,  but  as  they  are  less  than  one-fifteenth  the  number 
of  the  females,  they  therefore  occupy  only  one-eighth  of  the 
breeding-ground  of  the  100,000  supposed,  and  this  surplus  area 
of  the  males  is  more  than  balanced  b3'  the  15,000  to  20,000 
virgin  females  which  come  on  to  this  breeding-ground  forthelirst 
time  to  meet  the  males ;  they  come,  rest  a  few  days  or  a  week,  and 
retire,  leaving  no  young  to  show  their  presence  on  the  island. 
Taking  all  these  points  into  consideration,  I  quite  safely  calcu- 
late upon  two  square  feet  to  every  animal,  big  and  little,  on  the 
breeding-grounds.  Without  following  this  system  of  computa- 
tion, a  person  may  look  over  these  swarming  myriads  of  seals, 
guessing  vaguelj'  and  wildly  at  any  number,  from  one  million 
up  to  six  or  seven. 

Below  are  the  figures  made  from  my  survey  of  the  area  and 
position  of  the  breeding-grounds  of  the  fur-seal  on  Saint  Paul's 


78  ALASKA. 

Island,  Jiilv  10-lS,  1872,    It  is  the  first  survey  ever  made  on  the 
island : 

Seals— ^   $  o 

''Novastosliuab,"  or  Northeast  Point,  has  15,840 
feet  of  sea-margin,  with  150  feet  of  average  depth, 
making-  ground  for 1,  200,  000 

"Polavina"  Rookery  lias  4,000  feet  of  sea-margin, 
with  150  feet  of  average  depth,  making  ground 
for 300,  000 

"Lukannou"  Rookery  has  2,270  feet  of  sea-margin, 
with  150  feet  of  average  depth,  making  ground  for.        170,  000 

"  Keetavie  "  Rookery  has  2,200  feet  of  sea-margin, 
with  150  feet  of  average  depth,  making  ground 
for 105,  000 

"  Reef"  Rookery  has  4,016  feet  of  sea-margin,  with 
150  feet  of  average  depth,  making  ground  for 301,  000 

"  Garbutch  "  Rookery  has  3,060  feet  of  sea-margin, 

with  100  feet  of  average  depth,  making  groundfor.       183,  000 

"  Nahspeel"  or  Village  Rookery  has  400  feet  of  sea- 
margin,  with  40  feet  average  depth,  making  ground 
for 8,  000 

"  Lagoon"  Rookery  has  750  feet  of  sea-margin,  with 
100  feet  of  average  depth,  making  ground  for 37,000 

"  Tolstoi "  Rookery  has  3,  000  feet  of  sea-margin, 
with  150  feet  of  average  depth,  making  ground 
for 225,  000 

"  Zapadnie  "  Rookery  has  5,880  feet  of  sea-margin, 
with  150  feet  of  average  depth,  making  ground 
for l 441,  000 

A  grand  total  for  Saint  Paul's  Island  of  males, 

females,  and  young,  of 3,  030,  250 

The  breeding- grounds  on  Saint  George's  Island,  surveyed  July 
12-15,  1873,  gave  the  following  figures  j  also  the  first  survey 
ever  made  here : 
"  Eastern  "  Rookery  has  900  feetof  sea-margin,  with 

60  feet  of  average  depth,  making  ground  for 25,  000 

"Little  Eastern"  Rookery  has  750  feet  of  seamar- 

gin,  with  40  feet  of  average  depth,  making  ground 

for \ 13,  000 

"  North"  Rookery  has  2,000  feetof  sea-margin,  with 

25  feet  of  average  depth,  making  ground  for  ....         25,  000 


ALASKA.  79 

"North"  Kookery  has  750  feet  of  sea-margin,  with 
150  feet  of  average  depth,  making  ground  for 52, 000 

"  Starry  Ateel"  Rookery  has  500  feet  of  sea-margin, 
with  125  feet  of  average  de])th,  making  ground 
for 30,420 

"Zapadnie"  llookery  has  GOO  feet  of  sea-margin, 
with  00  feet  of  average  depth,  making  ground  for.         18,  000 


A  grand  total  for  Saint  George's  Island  of 

males,  females,  aud  young,  of 103,  420 

These  figures  show  a  grand  total  of  3,193,070  breeding-seals 
and  their  young,  and  this  oggrccjate  is  entirely  exclusive  of  the 
great  numbers  of  the  non-breeding  seals,  which  are  never  permit- 
ted to  come  upon  the  same  ground  with  the  females  by  the 
males  in  charge.  This  class  of  seals,  to  which  the  killing  is  con- 
fined, come  up  on  the  laud  and  sea-beach  between  the  rookeries, 
going  to  and  from  the  sea  at  irregular  intervals  during  the  sea- 
son. It  has  no  systematic,  definite  method,  like  the  breeding- 
class,  of  filling  up  to  certain  bounds  and  keeping  so  for  several 
weeks  at  a  time,  and  is,  therefore,  beyond  reach  for  ground 
npon  which  to  found  cnlculation,  and  I  can  only  give  an  esti- 
mate based  upon  my  close  observation  with  especial  reference 
to  this  subject,  and  this  is  my  conclusion  : 

The  non-breeding  seals,  consisting  of  all  the  yearlings  and  all 
the  males  under  six  or  seven  years,  seem  nearly  equal  in  number 
to  the  breeding-seals,  and  I  put  them  down  at  1,500,000  as  a 
fair  estimate,  and  make  the  sum  of  the  seal-life  on  the  Prybilov 
Islands  over  four  million  sei^en  hundred  thousand. 

The  seals  after  leaving  these  islands  in  the  autumn  and  early 
winter  do  not  visit  land  again  until  the  time  of  return,  next 
April,  May,  and  June,  to  the  grounds  here,  or  those  of  the  Eus- 
sian  "  Copper"  and  "  Bering"  Islands.  They  spread  themselves 
out  over  the  vast  North  Pacific,  following  schools  offish,  or  fre- 
quenting shoals  and  banks  where  an  abundance  of  fishy  food  is 
found.  They  can  sleep  with  the  greatest  comfort  and  sound- 
ness on  the  surface  of  the  water,  and  in  this  state  they  are  often 
surprised  by  the  natives  of  the  northwest  coast,  all  the  way  up 
and  down,  from  the  Columbia  Kiver  to  Bering  Sea.  On  the 
killing-grounds  at  Saint  George,  June,  1873,  the  natives  would 
frequently  call  my  attention  to  seals  that  they  were  skinning, 
in  which  buck-shot  were  imbedded  and  encysted  just  under  the 


80  ALASKA. 

liide  in  tbe  blubber.  From  one  animal  Qfteen  shot  were  taken, 
and  tbe  holes  wbicli  they  mnst  have  made  in  the  skin  wer<2 
entirely  healed  so  as  not  to  leave  a  scar.  These  bullets  were 
undoubtedly  received  from  tbe  natives  of  the  northwest  coast, 
anywhere  between  tbe  Straits  of  Fuca  and  tbe  Aleutian 
Islands,  used  by  them  in  attempting  the  capture  of  the  animals 
some  season  or  seasons  previously.  A  small  number  of  seals, 
not  dcfiiiitely  known,  however,  are  taken  by  the  Indians  every 
year  along  tbe  coasts  above  mentioned,  who  surprise  them 
while  soundly  asleep  in  the  water,  either  by  shooting  or  spear- 
ing. Tbe  number  taken  in  this  way  every  year  will  not  average 
5,000 ;  some  seasons  more,  some  seasons  less. 

That  these  animals  are  preyed  upon  extensively  by  killer- 
whales,  {Orca  gladiator,)  sharks,  and  other  foes  now  unknown, 
is  at  once  evident ;  for  were  they  not  held  in  check  by  some 
such  cause,  they  would  quickly  multi|)ly  to  so  great  an  extent 
that  Bering  Sea  itself  could  not  contain  them,  and  the  present 
auHual  killing  of  one  hundred  thousand  out  of  a  yearly  surplus 
of  over  a  million  males  does  not,  in  an  appreciable  degree,  dimin- 
ish tbe  seal- life,  or  interfere  in  the  slightest  with  its  regular 
perpetuation  on  the  breeding-grounds  every  year.  We  may 
jjroperl^-  look  upon  this  number  of  four  and  fis^e  millions  of  fur- 
seals,  as  we  see  them  here  every  year  on  these  islands,  as  the 
maximum  limit  of  increase  assigned  by  natural  laws.  I  think 
I  make  this  clear  in  my  chapter  upon  tbe  habits  of  these  valua- 
ble and  interesting  animals,  without  a  knowledge  of  which  it 
is  not  i)0ssible  for  any  one  to  fully  appreciate  the  truth  of  these 
generalizations.  Before,  however,  the  subject  of  tbe  possible 
increase  or  diminution  of  tbe  seal-life  is  taken  up  for  discussion, 
it  is  best  to  consider  tbe — 

III.   MANNER  IN  WHICH   THE  SEALS   ARE   ANNUALLY  TAKEN. 

Talcing  the  seals. — By  reference  to  tbe  habits  of  tbe  fur- 
seal,  it  is  plain  that  two-thirds  of  all  the  males  that  are  born 
(and  they  are  equal  in  number  to  tbe  females  born)  are  never 
permitted  by  the  remaining  third,  strongest  b^'  natural  selec- 
tion, to  land  upon  the  same  ground  with  tbe  females,  which 
always  herd  together  en  masse.  Therefore,  this  great  band  of 
bachelor  seals,  or  "  holluscbickie,"  is  compelled,  when  it  visits 
land,  to  live  apart  entirely,  miles  away  frequeutli',  from  tbe 
breeding-grounds,  and  in  this  admirably  perfect  manner  of  na- 
ture are  those  seals  which  can  be  properly  killed  without  injury 


ALASKA.  81 

to  the  rookeries  selected  and  held  aside,  so  that  the  natives  can 
visit  and  take  them  as  they  woukl  so  many  hogs,  without  dis- 
turbing in  the  slightest  degree  the  peace  and  quiet  of  the  breed- 
ing-grounds where  the  stock  is  perpetuated. 

The  manner  in  which  the  natives  capture  and  drive  the  hol- 
luschickie  up  from  the  hauling-grounds  to  the  slaughtering- 
lields  near  the  villages  and  elsewhere,  cannot  be  improved  upon, 
and  is  most  satisfactory. 

In  the  early  part  of  the  season  large  bodies  of  the  young 
bachelor  seals  do  not  haul  up  on  laud  very  far  from  the  water, 
a  few  rods  at  the  most,  and  the  men  are  obliged  to  approach 
slyly  and  run  quickly  between  the  dozing  seals  and  the  surf, 
before  fhey  take  alarm  and  boU  into  the  sea,  and  in  this  way  a 
dozen  Aleuts,  running  down  the  long  sand-beach  of  English 
Bay,  some  driving-morning  early  in  June,  will  turn  back  from 
the  water  thousands  of  seals,  just  as  the  mold-board  of  a 
l)low  lays  over  and  back  a  furrow^  of  earth.  As  the  sleei)ing 
seals  are  first  startled  they  arise,  and  seeing  men  between  them 
and  the  water,  immediately  turn,  lope  and  scramble  rapidly 
back  over  the  land ;  the  natives  then  leisurely  walk  on  the 
flanks  and  in  the  rear  of  the  drove  thus  secured,  and  direct 
and  drive  them  over  to  the  killing-grounds. 

A  drove  of  seals  on  hard  or  firm  grassy  ground,  in  cool  and 
moist  weather,  may  with  safety  be  driven  at  the  rate  of  half  a 
mile  an  hour ;  they  can  be  urged  along  with  the  expenditure  of 
a  great  many  lives  in  the  drove,  at  the  speed  of  a  mile  or  a  mile 
and  a  quarter  even  per  hour,  but  this  is  highly  injudicious  and 
is  seldom  ever  done.  A  bull-seal,  fat  and  unwieldy,  cannot 
travel  with  the  younger  ones,  but  it  can  lope  or  gallop  as  it 
were  over  the  ground  as  fast  as  an  ordinary  man  can  run  for  a 
hundred  yards,  but  then  it  falls  to  the  earth  supine,  utterly  ex- 
hausted, hot  and  gasping  for  breath. 

The  seals,  when  driven  thus  to  the  killing-grounds,  require 
but  little  urging ;  they  are  permitted  to  frequently  halt  and 
cool  off,  as  heating  them  injures  their  fur;  they  never  show 
fight  any  more  than  a  flock  of  sheep  would  do,  unless  a  few  old 
seals  are  mixed  in,  which  usually  get  so  weary  that  they  prefer 
to  come  to  a  stand-still  and  fight  rather  than  to  move;  this 
action  on  their  part  is  of  great  advantage  to  all  parties  con- 
cerned, and  the  old  I'ellows  are  always  permitted  to  drop  behind 
and  remain,  for  the  fur  on  them  is  of  little  or  no  value,  the 
pelage  very  much  shorter,  coarser,  and  more  scaut  than  in  the 
6  AL 


82  ALASKA. 

younger,  especially  so  on  the  parts  posteriorly.  This  cliauge  in 
the  condition  of  the  fur  seems  to  set  in  at  the  time  of  their 
shedding,  in  the  fifth  year  as  a  rule. 

As  the  drove  progresses  the  seals  all  move  in  about  the  same 
way,  a  kind  of  a  walliiug-step  and  a  sliding,  shambling  gallop, 
and  the  progression  of  the  whole  body  is  a  succession  of  starts, 
made  every  few  minutes,  spasmodic  and  irregular.  Ev'ery  now 
and  then  a  seal  will  get  weak  in  the  lumbar  region,  and  drag 
his  posterior  after  it  for  a  short  distance,  but  finally  drops 
breathless  and  exhausted,  not  to  revive  for  hours,  days  per- 
haps, and  often  never.  Quite  a  laige  number  of  the  weaker 
ones,  on  the  driest  driving-days,  are  thus  laid  out  and  left  ou 
the  road;  if  one  is  not  too  much  heated  at  the  time,  the  native 
driver  usually  taps  the  beast  over  the  head  and  removes  its 
skin.  This  will  hapi)en,  no  matter  how  carefnlly  they  are 
driven,  and  the  death-loss  is  quite  large,  as  much  as  3  or  4 
per  cent,  on  the  longer  drives,  such  as  three  and  four  miles, 
from  Zapadnie  or  Polavina  to  the  village  on  Saint  Paul's,  and 
I  feel  satisfied  that  a  considerable  number  of  those  reji'cted 
from  the  drove  and  permitted  to  return  to  the  water  die  sub- 
sequently from  internal  injuries  sustained  on  the  drive  from 
overexertion.  I  therefore  think  it  improper  to  extend  drives 
of  seals  over  any  distance  exceeding  a  mile  or  a  mile  and  a 
half.  It  is  better  for  all  parties  concerned  to  erect  salt-houses 
and  establish  killing-grounds  adjacent  to  all  of  the  great  haul- 
ing-grounds  on  Saint  Paul's  Island  should  the  business  ever  be 
developed  above  the  present  limit.  As  matters  now  are,  the 
ninety  thousand  seals  belonging  to  the  quota  of  Saint  Paul 
last  summer  were  taken  and  skinned  in  less  than  forty  days 
within  one  mile  from  either  the  village,  or  salt-house  on  .North- 
east Point. 

Killing  the  seals. — The  seals  when  brought  up  to  the  kill- 
ing grounds  are  herded  there  until  cool  and  rested;  then 
squads  or  "pods"  of  fifty  to  two  hundred  are  driven  out  from 
the  body  of  the  drove,  surrounded  and  huddled  up  one  against 
and  over  the  other,  by  the  natives,  who  curry  each  a  long, 
heavy  club  of  hard  wood,  with  which  they  strike  the  seals  down 
by  blows  upon  the  head;  a  single  stroke  of  a  heavy  oak 
bludgeon,  well  and  fairly  delivered,  will  crush  in  at  once  the 
slight,  thin  bones  of  a  seal's  skull,  laying  the  creature  out  life- 
less; these  strokes  are  usually  repeated  several  times  with 
each  animal,  but  are  very  quickly  done. 


ALASKA.  8 


o 


The  killing-gana:,  consisting  usually  of  fifteen  or  twenty 
men  at  a  time,  are  under  the  supervision  of  a  cbief  of  their 
own  selection,  and  have,  before  going  into  action,  a  common 
understanding  as  to  what  grades  to  kill,  sparing  the  others 
■which  are  untit,  underage,  &c.,  permitting  them  to  escape  and 
return  to  the  water  as  soon  as  the  marked  ones  are  knocked 
down ;  the  natives  then  drag  the  slain  out  from  the  heaj)  in 
■which  the^'  have  fallen,  and  spread  the  bodies  out  over  the 
ground  just  free  from  touching  one  another  so  that  they  will 
not  be  hastened  in  "heating"  or  blasting,  finishing  the  work  of 
death  by  thrusting  into  the  chest  of  each  stunned  and  sense- 
less seal  a  long,  sharp  knife,  which  touches  the  vitals  and 
bleeds  it  thoroughly ;  and  if  a  cool  day,  another  "pod"  is  started 
out  and  disposed  of  in  the  same  ^vay,  and  so  on  until  a  thou- 
sand or  two  are  laid  out,  or  the  drove  is  finished  ;  then  they 
turn  to  and  skin;  but  if  it  is  a  warm  day,  every  "pod"  is 
skinned  as  soon  as  it  is  knocked  down. 

This  work  of  killing  as  well  as  skinning  is  performed  very 
rapidly;  for  example,  forty-five  men  or  natives  on  Saint  Paul's 
during  .Tune  and  July,  1872,  in  less  than  four  working-weeks 
drove,  killed,  skinned,  and  salted  the  pelts  of  72,000   seals. 

The  labor  of  skinning  is  exceedingly  severe,  and  is  trying  to 
an  expert,  requiring  long  practice  before  the  muscles  of  the 
back  and  thighs  are  so  developed  as  to  permit  a  man  to  bend 
down  to  and  finish  well  a  fair  day's  work. 

The  bcdy  of  the  seal,  preparatory  to  skinning,  is  rolled  over 
or  put  ujion  its  back,  and  the  native  makes  a  single  swift  cut 
through  the  skin  down  along  the  neck,  chest,  and  belly,  from 
the  lower  jaw  to  the  root  of  the  tail,  using  for  this  purpose  a 
large,  sharp  knife.  The  fore  and  hind  flippers  are  then  succes- 
sively lilted,  and  a  sweeping  circular  incision  is  made  through 
the  skin  on  them  just  at  the  point  where  the  body-fur  ends ; 
then,  seizing  a  flap  of  the  hide  on  either  one  side  or  the  other  of 
the  abdomen,  the  man  proceeds  to  rapidly  cut  the  skin  clean 
and  free  fro:n  the  body  and  blubber,  which  he  rolls  over  and 
out  from  the  skin  by  hauling  up  on  it  as  he  advances  with  his 
work,  standing  all  the  time  stooping  over  the  carcass  so  that 
his  hands  are  but  slightly  above  it  or  the  ground.  This  opera- 
tion of  skinning  a  fair-sized  seal  takes  the  best  men  only  a  min- 
ute and  a  half,  but  the  average  time  on  the  ground  is  about 
four  minutes. 

J^othing  is  left  of  the  skin  upon  the  carcass  save  a  small 


84  ALASKA. 

patch  of  each  upper  lip,  on  which  the  coarse  mustache  grows, 
the  skiu  on  the  tip  of  the  lower  jaw,  the  insignificant  tail,  to- 
gether with  the  bare  hide  of  the  flippers. 

The  blubber  of  the  fur-seal  is  of  a  faint  yellowish  white,  and 
lies  entirely'  between  the  skin  and  the  flesh,  none  being  depos- 
ited in  between  the  muscles.  Around  the  small  and  large  intes- 
tines a  moderate  quantity  of  hard,  firm  fat  is  found.  The  blub- 
ber possesses  an  extremely  offensive,  sickening  odor,  difficult  to 
wash  from  the  hands.  It  makes,  however,  a  very  fair  oil  for 
lubricating,  burning,  &c. 

The  flesh  of  the  fur-seal,  when  carefully  cleaned  from  fat  or 
blubber,  can  be  cooked,  and  by  most  i)eople  eaten,  who,  did 
they  not  know  w  hat  it  was,  might  consider  it  some  poor,  tough, 
dry  beef,  rather  dark  in  color  and  overdone.  That  of  the  pup, 
however,  while  on  the  land  and  milk-fed,  is  tender  and  juicy  but 
insipid. 

The  skins  are  taken  from  the  field  to  the  salt-house,  where 
they  are  laid  out  open,  one  upon  another,  "  hair  to  fat,"  like  so 
many  sheets  of  paper,  with  salt  profusely  spread  upon  the 
fleshy  sides,  in  "kenches"'  or  bins.  After  lying  a  week  or  two 
salted  in  this  style  they  are  ready  for  bundling  and  shipping, 
two  skins  to  the  bundle,  the  fur  outside,  tightly  rolled  up  and 
strongly  corded,  having  an  average  weight  of  twelve,  fifteen, 
and  twenty-two  pounds  when  made  up  of  two,  three,  and  four 
year  old  skins  respectively. 

The  company  leasing  the  islands  are  permitted  by  law  to 
take  one  hundred  thousand,  and  no  more,  annually  :  this  they 
do  in  June  and  July  ;  after  that  season  the  skins  rapidly  grow 
worthless  by  shedding,  and  do  not  pay  for  transportation  and 
tax.  The  natives  are  paid  forty  cents  a  skin  for  the  catch,  and 
keep  a  close  account  of  the  progress  of  the  work  every  day,  as 
it  is  all  done  by  them,  and  they  know  within  fifty  skins,  one 
way  or  the  other,  when  the  whole  number  have  been  secured 
each  season.  This  is  the  only  occupation  of  some  three  hun- 
dred and  fifty  people  here,  and  they  naturally  look  well  after 
it.  The  interest  and  close  attention  paid  by  these  Aleuts  on 
both  islands  to  this  business  was  both  gratifying  an.d  instruct- 
ive to  me  while  stationed  there. 

The  common  or  popular  notion  regarding  seal-skins  is  that 
they  are  worn  by  those  animals  just  as  they  appear  when  offered 
for  sale.  This  is  a  very  great  mistake;  few  skins  are  less  at- 
tractive than  the  seal-skin  as  it  is  taken  from  the  creature. 
The  fur  is  not  visible,  concealed  entirely  by  a  coat  of  stilTover- 


ALASKA.  85 

bair,  dull  gray,  brown,  and  grizzled.  The  best  of  these  raw 
skins  arc  worth  only  $5  to  $10,  but  after  dressing  they  bring 
from  $25  to  $40 ;  and  it  takes  three  of  them  to  make  a  hid;^  's 
sack  and  boa.  In  order  that  it  may  be  apparent  that  there 
is  reason  for  this  great  advance  in  price  over  the  raw  quota- 
tion, I  take  great  pleasure  in  submitting  a  descri[)tiou  of  the 
process,  kindly  furnished  me  by  a  leading  furrier  i)ractically 
an<l  skillfully  conversant  with  the  subject,  probably  the  only 
person  in  the  country  long  familiar  with  it.  His  communication 
is  as  follows : 

"Albany,  October  22,  1874. 

"  Sir  :  The  Alaska  Commercial  Company  sold  in  London,  De- 
cember, 1873,  about  sixty  tbousand  skins  taken  from  the  islands 
leased  by  our  Government  of  the  catch  of  1873.  The  remain- 
der of  the  catch,  about  forty  thousand,  were  sold  in  March. 
This  company  have  made  the  collection  of  seal  from  these 
islands  much  more  valuable  than  they  were  before  their  lease, 
by  the  care  used  by  them  in  curing  the  skins,  and  taking  them 
only  when  iu  season.  We  have  worked  this  class  of  seal  for 
several  years — when  they  were  owned  by  the  Eussiau  Ameri- 
can Fur  Company,  and  during  the  first  year  they  were  owned 
by  our  Government. 

•'  When  the  skins  are  received  by  u»s  iu  the  salt,  we  wash  off 
the  salt,  placing  them  upon  a  beam  somewhat  like  a  tanner's 
beam,  removing  the  fat  from  the  flesh-side  with  a  beaming- 
knife,  care  being  required  that  no  cuts  or  uneven  i)laces  are 
made  in  the  pelt.  The  skins  are  next  washed  iu  water  and 
placed  upon  the  beam  with  the  fur  up,  and  the  grease  and 
water  removed  by  the  knife.  The  skins  are  then  dried  by  mod- 
erate heat,  being  tacked  out  on  frames  to  keep  them  smooth. 
After  being  fully  dried,  they  are  soaked  iu  water  and  thoroughly 
cleansed  with  soap  and  water.  In  some  cases  they  can  be  un- 
haired  without  this  drying-process,  and  cleansed  before  drying. 
After  the  cleansing-process  they  pass  to  the  picker,  who  dries 
the  fur  by  stove-heat,  the  pelt  being  kept  moist.  When  the 
fur  is  dry  he  places  the  skin  on  a  beam,  and  while  it  is  warm 
he  removes  the  main  coat  of  hair  with  a  dull  shoe-knife,  grasp- 
ing the  hair  with  his  thumb  and  knife,  the  thumb  being  pro- 
tected by  a  rubber  cob.  The  hair  must  be  pulled  out,  not 
broken.  After  a  portion  is  removed  the  skin  must  be  again 
warmed  at  the  stove,  the  pelt  being  kept  moist.  When  the 
outer  hairs  have  been  mostly  removed,  he  uses  a  beaujing- 
knife  to  work  out  the  finer  hairs,  (which  are  shorter,)  and  the 


8G  ALASKA. 

remaining  coarser  hairs.  It  will  be  seen  that  great  care  must 
be  used,  as  the  skin  is  in  that  soft  state  that  too  much  pressure 
of  the  knife  would  take  the  fur  also ;  indeed,  bare  spots  are 
made;  carelessly-cured  skins  are  sometimes  worthless  on  this 
account.  The  skins  are  next  dried,  afterward  dami^ened  on  the 
l)elt  side,  and  shaved  to  a  fine,  even  surface.  They  are  then 
stretched,  worked,  and  dried ;  afterward  softened  in  a  fulling- 
mill,  or  by  treading  them  with  the  bare  feet  in  a  hogshead,  one 
head  being  removed  and  the  cask  placed  nearly  upright,  into 
which  the  workman  gets  with  a  lew  skins  and  some  fine,  hard- 
wood sawdust,  to  absorb  the  grease  while  he  dances  upon  them 
to  break  them  into  leather.  If  the  skins  have  been  shaved 
thin,  as  required  when  finished,  any  defective  spots  or  holes 
must  now  be  mended,  the  skin  smoothed  and  pasted  with  paper 
on  the  i^elt-side,  or  two  pasted  together  to  protect  the  pelt  in 
dyeing.  The  usual  process  in  the  United  States  is  to  leave  the 
pelt  sufiQciently  thick  to  protect  them  without  i^asting. 

"  In  dyeing,  the  liquid  dye  is  put  on  with  a  brush,  carefully 
covering  the  points  of  the  standing  fur.  After  lying  folded, 
with  the  points  touching  each  other,  for  some  little  time,  the 
skins  are  hung  up  and  dried.  The  dry  dye  is  then  removed, 
another  coat  applied,  dried,  and  removed,  an<l  so  on  until  the 
required  shade  is  obtained.  One  or  two  of  these  coats  of  dye  are 
put  on  much  heavier  and  pressed  down  to  the  roots  of  the  fur, 
making  what  is  called  the  ground.  From  eight  to  twelve  coats 
are  required  to  produce  a  good  color.  The  skins  are  then 
washed  clean,  the  fur  dried,  the  pelt  moist.  They  are  shaved 
down  to  the  required  thickness,  dried,  working  them  some 
v»  hile  drying,  then  soltened  in  a  hogshead,  and  sometimes  run 
in  a  revolving  cylinder  with  fine  sawdust  to  clean  them.  The 
English  i)rocess  does  not  have  the  washing  after  dyeing. 

"  I  should  perhaps  say  that,  with  all  the  care  used,  many  skins 
are  greatly  injured  in  the  working.  Quite  a  quantity  of  En- 
glish dyed  seal  were  sold  last  season  for  $17,  damaged  in  the 
dye. 

"  The  above  is  a  general  process,  but  we  are  obliged  to  vary 
for  different  skins;  those  from  various  parts  of  the  world 
require  different  treatment,  and  there  is  quite  a  difiiirence  in 
the  skins  from  the  Seal  Islands  of  our  country — I  sometimes 
think  about  as  much  as  in  the  human  race. 
"  Yours,  with  respect, 

"GEO.  C.  TREAD  WELL  &  CO. 

"  n.  W.  Elliott,  Esq." 


ALASKA.  87 

From  this  subject  of  the  maimer  in  which  the  sealing-busi- 
ness  is  conducted  on  the  ishxuds  and  elsewhere,  we  naturally 
turn  to  the — 

IV  .   PRESENT  CONDITION   OF    THE  SEAL-LIFE  AND  ITS  VALUE. 

A  question  frequently  asked  in  regard  to  these  islands  is 
this :  "At  the  present  rate  of  killing  the  seals,  it  will  not  be  long 
before  they  are  exterminated;  how  much  longer  will  they 
last?"  The  answer  is,  that  as  long  as  matters  are  conducted 
on  the  Seal  Islands  as  they  now  are,  one  hundred  thousand 
male  seals,  under  the  age  of  five  years  and  over  one,  may  be 
safely  taken  every  year  without  the  slightest  injury  to  the  regu- 
lar birth-rate  or  natural  increase,  provided  the  animals  are  not 
visited  by  any  plague  or  pestileuce,  or  any  such  abnormal  cause 
for  tbeir  destruction,  beyond  the  control  of  man,  and  to  which, 
like  any  other  great  body  of  animal  life,  they  must  ever  be  sub- 
ject. 

From  my  calculatious  already  given  it  will  be  seen  that  a 
million  "pups,"  or  youngseals,are  born  upon  these  islands  every 
year.  Of  this  million,  one-half  are  males.  These  500,000  young 
males  leave  the  ishmdsfor  sea,  when  they  are  between  five  and 
six  months  old,  very  fat  and  hearty,  having  suflered  but  a  tri- 
fling loss  in  number  (about  1  per  cent.)  while  on  and  about  the 
islands,  about  which  there  are  no  enemies  whatever;  but  after 
they  get  well  douu  into  the  Pacific  in  quest  of  food,  they  form 
the  most  helpless  of  their  kind  to  resist  or  elude  sharks, 
killers,  &c.,  and  they  are  so  diminished  in  number  by  these 
natural  enemies,  that  when  they  return  to  the  Prybilov  Islands 
in  the  following  year,  July,  they  will  not  present  more  than  one- 
half  of  the  number  with  which  they  left  the  ground  of 
their  birth  the  previous  season  ;  that  is,  li50,000.  By  this  time 
these  survivors  of  last  year's  birth  have  become  strong,  active 
swimmers,  and  when  they  leave  again,  as  before,  in  the  fall, 
they  are  as  able  as  any  others  of  their  older  classes  to  take 
care  of  themselves,  and  at  least  225,000  of  them  safely  return 
in  the  second  season  after  birth,  and  are  very  slightly  diminished 
after  that  during  their  natural  lives  of  filteen  to  twenty  years 
each  ;  and  the  same  will  hold  good  with  the  females. 

Now,  the  number  of  bulls  required  for  the  annual  stock  of 
225,000  virgin  cdws,  to  be  saved  for  this  service  every  year,  is  by 
their  law  and  habit  onlij  onefificeuth  of  the  number  of  cows,  as 
on  all  the  breeding-grounds  oue  male  will  have  ou  an  average 


88  ALASKA. 

fiftee!!  cows;  but  to  make  sure  that  wo  save  two-year-old  bulls 
euougli  every  season,  we  will  more  tban  double  this  [iroportion 
and  set  aside  one-fifth  of  the  young  males  in  question,  and  that 
will  leave  180,000  seals  in  good  condition  that  can  be  safely 
killed  every  year  without  the  slightest  injury  to  the  perpetua- 
tion of  the  stock  itself. 

In  the  above  showing  I  have  put  the  largest  estimate  upon 
the  loss  sustained  at  sea  by  the  youngest  seals,  too  large  I  am 
morally  certain,  but  I  wish  to  lilaco  the  matter  in  the  very 
worst  light  in  which  it  can  be  i)ut,  and  to  give  the  seals  the 
full  benefit  of  every  doubt. 

With  regard  to  the  increase  of  the  seal-life,  I  do  not  think  it 
Avithiii  the  power  of  human  management  to  promote  this  end 
to  the  slightest  appreciable  degree  beyond  its  present  extent 
and  condition  in  a  state  of  nature;  for  it  cannot  fail  to  be  evi- 
dent, from  my  detailed  description  of  the  habits  and  life  of  the 
fur-seal  on  these  islands  during  a  great  part  of  the  year,  that 
could  man  have  the  same  supervision  and  control  over  this 
animal  during  the  ichole  season  which  he  has  at  his  command 
while  they  visit  the  land,  he  might  cause  them  to  multiply  and 
increase,  as  he  would  so  many  cattle,  to  an  indefinite  number, 
onl}-  limited  by  time  and  means ;  but  the  case  in  question,  unfor- 
tunately, takes  the  fur-seal  six  months  out  of  every  year  far 
beyond  the  reach,  or  even  cognizance,  of  any  one,  where  it  is 
exposed  to  known  powerful  and  destructive  natural  enemies, 
and  many  others  probably  unknown,  which  prey  upon  it,  and, 
in  accordance  with  a  well-recognized  law  of  nature,  keep  it  at 
about  a  certain  number  which  has  been  for  ages,  and  will  be 
for  the  future,  as  affairs  now  are,  its  maximum  limit  of  in- 
crease. This  law  holds  good  everywhere  throughout  the  animal 
kingdom,  regulating  and  preserving  the  equilibrium  of  life  in  a 
state  of  nature.  Did  it  not  hold  good,  these  Seal  Islands  and 
all  Bering  Sea  would  have  been  literally  covered,  and  have 
swarmed  with  them  long  before  the  Eussians  discovered  them  ; 
but  there  were  no  more  seals  when  first  seen  here  by  human 
eyes  in  17SG-'S7  than  there  are  now,  in  1874,  as  far  as  all  evi- 
dence goes. 

With  reference  to  the  amount  of  ground  covered  by  the  seals 
when  first  discovered  by  the  Russians,  I  have  examined  every 
foot  of  the  sh' ire-line  of  both  islands,  where  the  bones,  &c., 
might  be  lying  on  any  deserted  ground  since  then,  and,  after 
carefully  surveying  the  new  ground  now  occupied  by  the  seals, 


ALASKA.  89 

and  comparing  this  area  with  that;  which  thej'  have  deserted, 
I  feel  justitied  in  stating  that,  for  the  last  twelve  or  fifteen 
3'ears  at  least,  the  fur-seals  on  these  islands  have  not  diminished, 
nor  have  they  increased  as  a  body  to  any  noteworthy  degree; 
and  daring  all  this  time  the  breeding-grounds  have  never  been 
disturbed,  and  they  have  been  living  in  a  perfectly  quiet  and 
natural  condition.  Without  some  natural  check  upon  this  life, 
with  a  million  of  young  born  every  year,  during  the  last  ten  at 
least,  the  annual  taking  of  a  hundred  thousand  males  would 
not  in  the  slightest  degree  retard  the  increase  which  would  set 
in  at  once  were  it  not  for  this  check  aforesaid. 

What  can  be  done  to  promote  their  increase?  We  cannot 
cause  a  greater  number  of  females  to  be  born  every  year ;  wo 
do  not  touch  or  disturb  these  females  as  they  grow  up  and  live, 
and  we  save  more  than  enough  males  to  serve  them.  Nothing 
more  can  be  done,  for  it  is  impossible  to  protect  them  from 
deadly  enemies  in  their  wanderings  for  food. 

Tliis  great  body  of  four  and  five  niillions  of  hearty,  active 
animals  must  consume  an  enormous  amount  of  food  every  year. 
They  cannot  average  less  than  five  pounds  of  fish  each  per 
diem,  (this  is  not  half  enough  for  an  adult  male,)  which  gives 
the  consumption  of  over  three  million  tons  offish  every  year! 

To  get  this  immense  food-supply  the  seals  are  compelled  to 
disperse  over  a  very  large  area  of  the  North  Pacific  and  fish. 
This  brings  them  into  contact  more  and  more  with  their  enemies 
as  they  advance  south,  until  thej-  reach  a  point  where  their 
annual  destruction  from  natural  foes  is  equal  to  their  increase, 
and  at  this  point  their  number  will  remain  fixed.  About  the 
Seal  Islands  I  have  failed  to  notice  the  least  disturbance  amon  j 
these  animals  by  anything  in  the  water  or  out,  and  from  my 
observation  I  am  led  to  believe  that  it  is  not  until  they  descend 
well  to  the  south  in  the  North  Pacific  that  they  meet  with 
sharks  and  voracious  killer-whales.* 

In  view,  therefore,  of  all  these  facts,  I  have  no  hesitation  in 
saying  quite  confidently  that,  under  the  present  rules  and  regu- 
lations governing  the  sealing  interests  on  these  islands,  the  in- 
crease or  diminution  of  the  life  will  amount  to  nothing;  that 
the  seals  will  continue  for  all  time  in  about  the  same  number 
and  con<lition. 

To  test  this  theory  of  mine,  I  have  put  the  Government  in 

*"In  the  stomach  of  one  of  these  auiinals  (year  before  last)  fourteen  small 
harp-seals  were  fouud." — Michael  CarvulVn  Uijyort,  Canadian  Finkcricn,  1872. 


90  ALASKA. 

possessiou  of  data  which  will  serve  as  a  correct  guide  from  year 
to  year. 

As  the  seals  come  to  laud  boldly  first  and  last,  and  are  not  wild 
or  wary,  the  breeding-grounds  may  and  should  be  inspected 
throughout,  every  few  days,  by  the  agent  in  charge,  irom  the 
time  of  the  early  arrivals  in  May  until  the  period  of  general 
departure  in  the  autumn,  in  order  that  he  may  map  down  and 
fix  in  black  and  white  the  precise  boundaries  assumed  by  the 
breeding-seals  for  the  season,  giving  the  result  at  the  close  of 
his  labors  of  an  accurate  survey  of  the  area  awA  position  of  the 
ground  covered  during  the  season  by  the  cows,  bulls,  and  pups 
on  the  rookeries,  so  that  he  can  at  once  detect  anj^  change  that 
may  and  is  likely  to  occur  in  their  hauling  and  numbers  for  the 
next  season. 

This  is  the  only  w^ay  in  which  an  agent  of  the  Government 
can  correctly  report,  year  after  year,  as  to  the  condition  of  the 
seal-life  on  these  grounds,  detecting  any  increase  or  diminution 
of  the  same  as  season  succeeds  season.  This  is  a  step  impera- 
tively necessary  for  a  Government  agent  to  take,  and  should 
not  be  neglected. 

During  the  first  week  of  inspection  some  of  those  arriving 
earliest  will  frequently  take  flight  to  the  water  when  ajiproached, 
but  these  runaways  soon  return.  By  the  end  of  May,  however, 
they  will  hardly  move  to  the  right  or  left  when  you  attempt 
to  pass  through  them.  At  this  time,  about  two  weeks  before 
the  females  begin  to  come  in  a  body,  they  become  entirely 
indifferent  to  man  or  anything  else  save  their  ow^n  kind,  and  so 
continue  the  rest  of  the  season. 

The  seals  upon  the  rookeries  and  hauliug-grouuds  are  not 
afiTected  by  the  smell  of  blood  and  carrion  arising  from  the 
killing-grounds  or  from  the  stench  of  blubber-fires  which 
burn  in  the  native  villages.  This  trait  is  well  illustrated  by 
the  attitude  of  the  two  rookeries  near  the  village  of  Saint  Paul's. 
The  breeding-ground  on  the  spit  at  the  head  of  the  lagoon  is 
not  more  than  forty  yards  from  the  great  killing-grounds,  being 
separated  only  from  the  seventy  or  eighty  thousand  rotting 
carcasses  by  a  slough  less  than  ten  yards  wide.  The  seals  can 
smell  the  blood  and  carrion  upon  this  fiehl  from  near  the  time 
they  land  in  tbe  spring  until  they  leave  in  the  autumn ;  while 
the  general  southerly  summer-winds  waft  to  them  the  odor  and 
sounds  of  a  native  village  not  over  two  hundred  rods  south  of 
them.    All  this  has  no  efiect  upon  the  seals,  for  the  rookery,  as 


ALASKA.  91 

the  natives  declare,  has  been  slightly  but  steadily  increasing. 
The  seals  everywhere  ou  the  breeding-grounds  will  become 
speedily  habituated  to  close  observation  when  it  is  quiet  and 
undemonstrative,  and  take  little  notice  of  the  approach  of  the 
observer. 

The  seals  will  be  found  to  change  a  little  every  year  from 
rookery  to  rookery,  but  the  aggregate  number  will  be  steadily 
about  the  same.  The  condition  of  the  seal-life  this  season  of 
1874  compares  very  favorably  with  that  of  1872,  as  will  be  seen 
from  extracts  from  my  notes  taken  on  the  ground : 

"Northeast  Poikt,  July  18,  1874. 

"  Quite  a  strip  of  ground  near  Webster's  house  has  been 
deserted  this  season,  but  a  small  expansion  is  observed  on 
Sea  Lion  Hill.  The  rest  of  the  ground  is  as  mapped  in  1872, 
with  no  noteworthy  increase  in  any  direction.  The  condition  of 
the  animals  and  their  young,  excellent ;  saiall  irregularities  in 
the  massing  of  the  families  due  to  rain ;  sealions  about  the 
same  ;  none  ou  the  west  shore  of  the  point." 

"  The  aggregate  of  life  on  this  great  rookery  is  about  the 
same  as  iu  1872,  the  'hollusehickie,'  or  killable  seals,  hauling  as 
well  and  as  nuuierously  as  before.  The  proportions  of  the  dif- 
ferent ages  among  them,  of  two,  three,  and  four  year  olds,  pretty 

well  represented." 

"  POLAVIXA,  Jiihj  18,  1874. 

"  Stands  as  it  did  in  1872  ;  breeding  and  hauling  grouuds  in 
excellent  condition;  the  latter,  on  Upper  Polaviua,are  changing 
down  upon  Polaviua  sand-beach,  trending  for  three  miles  to- 
ward Xortheast  Point.  The  numbers  of  the  'hollusehickie' 
on  this  ground  of  Polaviua,  where  they  have  not  been  disturbed 
now  for  some  five  years  to  mention  in  the  way  of  taking,  do 
not  seem  to  be  any  greater  than  they  are  on  the  hauling-grounds 
adjacent  to  Northeast  Point  and  the  village,  from  which  they 
are  driven  almost  every  day  during  this  season  of  killing." 
"  LUKANNON  A^'D  Ketavie,  Juhj  19,  1874. 

"Xot  materially  changed  in  anj'  respect  from  its  condition  at 

this  time  in  1872." 

"  GoRBOTCH,  Jiay  19,  1874. 

"  Just  the  same.    Condition  excellent." 

"  Keef,  July  19,  1874. 

"A  slight  contraction  on  the  south  sea-margin  of  this  ground, 
compensated  for  hy  expansion  under  the  bluffs  on  the  north- 
west side.    Condition  excellent." 


92  ALASKA. 

"  Naspeel,  July  20,  1874. 

"  A  diminution  of  one-Lalf  at  least.     Very  few  here  this  year. 

It  is  no  place  for  a  rookery  j  uot  a  pistol-sbot  from  the  natives' 

houses." 

'<  Lagoon,  Jnhj  20,  1874. 

"  Xo  noteworthy  change  ;  if  any,  a  trifling  increase.  Condi- 
tion good." 

"  Tolstoi,  Jnhj  21,  1874. 

"  No  perceptible  change  in  this  rookery  from  its  good  shape 
of  1872.     The  condition  excellent." 

"  Zapadnie,  JuJij  22,  1874. 

"  An  extension  or  increase  of  2,000  feet  of  shore-line,  with 
an  average  depth  of  50  feet  of  breeding-ground,  has  been  built 
on  to  Upper  Zapadnie  toward  Tolstoi ;  the  upper  rookery  proper 
has  not  altered  its  bearings  or  proportions  ;  the  saud-beach  belt 
between  it  and  Lower  Zapadnie  deserted  by  the  breeding-seals 
almost  entirely,  and  a  fair  track  for  the  holluschickie  lett  clear, 
over  which  they  have  traveled  quite  extensively  this  season, 
some  20,000  to  25,000  lying  out  to-day.  Lower  Zapadnie  has 
lost  in  a  noteworthy  degree  about  an  average  of  20  feet  of  its 
depth,  which,  however,  is  much  more  than  compensated  for  by 
the  great  increase  to  the  upper  rookery. 

"  A  small  beginning  had  been  made  for  a  rookery  on  the 
shore  just  southwest  from  Zapadnie  Lake,  in  1872,  but  this 
year  it  has  been  entirely  abandoned." 

On  Saint  George  a  survey  gives  for  this  season  the  following 
in  comparison  with  that  of  1873  : 

"  Zapadnie,  JuhjS,  1874. 

"  This  rookery  shows  a  slight  increase  upon  the  figures  of  last 
year,  about  5,000.     Fine  condition." 

"  Starky  Ateel,  JuIyG,  1874. 
"  No  noteworthy  change  from  last  year." 

"  N(JiiTH  liOOKERY,  July  0,  1874, 
"  No  essential  change  from  last  year  ;  condition  very  good." 

"  Little  Eastern,  July  6,  1874. 
"  A  slight  diminution  of  some  2,000  or  so.     Condition  excel- 
lent." 

"  Eastern  Eookery,  July  7,  1874. 
"  A  small  increase  over  last  year  of  about  3,000,  making  the 
aggregate  seal-life  similar  to  that  of  last  season,  witii  the  cer- 
tainty of  a  small  increase. 


ALASKA.  93 

•'  The  unusually  early  season,  this  year,  brougbt  the  rookery- 
bnlls  on  to  tlie  ground  very  much  in  advance  of  the  general 
time  ;  they  landed  as  early  as  the  lOth  of  April,  but  the  arrival 
of  the  cows  was  as  late  as  usual,  corresponding  to  my  observa- 
tions during  the  past  two  seasons. 

"  The  general  condition  of  the  animals  of  all  classes  is  most 
excellent — they  are  sleek,  fat,  and  free  from  any  taint  of 
disease." 

In  this  way  it  must  be  plain  that  the  exact  condition  of  these 
animals  can  be  noted  every  season,  and  should  a  diminution  be 
noticed,  due  to  any  cause  known  or  unknown,  the  killing  can  be 
])romptly  stopped.  Four  years  have  passed,  with  the  end  of 
this  season,  in  which  100,000  young  males  have  been  annually 
taken,  and  the  effect  on  the  seal-life  cannot  be  seen ;  it  has  not 
injured  it,  to  a  certainty,  and  it  has  not  i)romoted  an  increase. 
Two  years  more  will  make  the  matter  conclusive,  for  then,  if 
the  breeding-grounds  are  as  well  supplied  with  males  as  they 
now  are,  then  it  will  be  evident  that  enough  are  saved  every 
vear  for  that  service. 

We  know  pretty  well  now  how  many  we  can  take  without  in- 
jury, but  we  do  not  know  how  many  more  than  100,000  can 
be.  This  problem  of  developing  these  interests  to  their  full  im- 
portance should  not  be  taken  in  hand  for  a  few  j'ears  yet,  not 
until  the  present  system  which  I  have  drawn  up  for  the  watch- 
ing of  the  rookeries  has  been  in  operation  for  three  or  four 
years ;  then,  if  it  is  advisable,  on  account  of  the  superabun- 
dance of  male  seal-life,  and  the  market  will  stand  the  increase 
of  raw  material,  the  killing  may  be  very  gradually  increased 
from  year  to  year,  but  not  ovqy  Jive  thousand  each  season.  The 
rookeries,  like  a  barometer,  will  show  a  falling  off  of  necessary 
bulls  when  the  killing  has  reached  a  point  where  the  increase 
is  detrimental.  This  can  be  seen  at  once  by  the  proper  persons 
and  the  killing  checked  without  delay,  in  ample  time  to  pre- 
vent harm. 

In  this  chapter  I  have  given  a  translation  of  Bishop  Veniami- 
nov's  history,  the  only  one  written,  and  very  valuable  as  illus- 
trative of  the  manner  in  which  the  Russians  conducted  affairs 
on  the  Prybilov  Islands  ;  but  it  is  at  once  apparent  that  much 
of  it  was  written  necessarily  from  hearsay  and  not  based  upon 
fact  or  personal  observation,  hence  many  grave  errors  are  con- 
tained in  it. 


94  ALASKA. 

THE  PROPRIETY   OF  LEASING  THE  ISLANDS. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  at  the  time  this  question  was  be- 
fore Congress  much  opposition  to  the  principle  of  leasing  was 
made,  on  the  ground  that  the  Government  would  realize  more 
by  taking  the  whole  management  of  the  business  into  its  own 
hands.  As  to  what  arguments  were  used  on  either  side  of  the 
question  I  am  ignorant,  but  after  a  careful  and  impartial  sur- 
vey of  the  subject  on  the  ground  itself,  and  in  the  trade,  I  am 
satisfied  that  those  members  of  the  House  aud  Senate  who,  by 
their  votes  June,  1870,  directed  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury 
to  .lease  the  Seal  Islands  of  Alaska  to  the  highest  bidder,  did 
the  only  correct  and  profitable  thing  that  could  be  done  in  the 
matter,  both  with  regard  to  the  preservation  of  the  seal-life  in 
its  original  integrity,  and  its  own  pecuniary  gain  ;  and  to  make 
this  statement  of  mine  perfectly  evident,  the  following  facts 
may  be  presented : 

First.  When  the  Government  took  i^ossession  of  these  inter- 
ests in  1868-'G9,  the  gross  value  of  a  seal-sldn  then  in  the  best  mar- 
]cet,  London^  icas  less  than  the  present  tax  and  royalUj  paid  upon 
it  hy  the  lessees  ! 

Second.  By  the  action  of  the  intelligent  business  men  who 
took  the  lease,  in  stimulating  aud  encouraging  the  dressers 
of  the  raw  material,  aud  in  combining  with  leaders  of  fashion 
abroad,  the  demand  for  the  fur  has  been  greatly  increased,  and 
the  price  of  the  raw  material  has  doubled,  so  that  while  the 
Government  gets  and  nets  nearly  half  of  the  gross  sales,  yet 
the  lessees  have  a  good  margin  of  15  to  20  per  cent,  at  least  ou 
their  capital,  sustained  entirely  by  their  business  capacity  and 
energy. 

Third.  The  Government,  should  it  attempt  to  manage  this 
business,  could  not  secure  the  services  of  such  men  as  those  who 
compose  the  business  management  of  the  Alaska  Commercial 
Company  without  paying  salaries  to  four  and  five  agents  as  large 
or  larger  than  that  giveu  to  the  President  of  the  United  States. 
This,  however,  the  Government  might  cheerfully  do,  did  it 
guarantee  the  selection  and  api)ointment  of  such  men  as  those 
above  mentioned,  but  it  does  not  follow  under  our  system  of 
government,  or  any  other  that  I  know  of,  that  a  large  salary 
indicates  a  corresponding  amount  of  ability  on  the  part  of  its 
recipient;  an  imbecile  or  a  very  common  man  is  just  as  apt 


ALASKA.  95 

to  secure  it  as  not.  Ordinary  men  cannot  conduct  this  business 
successfully.* 

Fourth.  As  matters  now  stand,  the  greatest  and  best  inter- 
ests of  the  lessees  are  identical  with  those  of  the  Government ; 
that  is,  the  preservation  and,  if  possible,  the  increase  of  the 
seal-life;  and  if  these  lessees  had  it  in  their  power,  which  they 
certainly  have  not,  to  rain  these  interests  by  a  few  seasous 
of  rapacity,  they  are  too  prudent  to  do  so. 

Fifth.  The  frequent  changes  made  in  the  office  of  the  Secre- 
tary of  the  Treasury,  who  now,  very  properly,  has  the  control 
of  the  business  as  it  stands,  do  not  guarantee  on  his  part  the 
close,  careful  scrutiny  likely  to  be  exercised  by  the  lessees,  who 
have  but  one  purpose  to  carry  out ;  and  the  character  of  the 
leading  men  among  them  is  enough  to  assure  the  public  that 
the  business  is  in  responsible  hands,  and  in  the  care  of  persons 
who  will  use  every  eftbrt  for  the  preservation  of  the  seal-life,  as 
it  is  their  interest  to  do. 

It  is  frequently  urged  with  great  persistency  bjMnisinformed 

*  Another  great  obstacle  to  the  success  of  the  business,  if  controlled  entirely 
by  the  Government,  would  arise  in  the  disposal  of  the  skins  afttr  they  have 
been  brought  down  from  the  islands.  The  Government  would  need  to  offer 
them  at  public  auction  in  this  country,  and  would  be  at  the  mercy  of  any 
well-organized  combination  of  buyers;  the  Government  agents  conducting 
the  sale  could  not  counteract  the  efforts  of  such  a  combination  as  success- 
fully as  the  agents  of  a  private  corporation,  who  can  look  after  their  inter- 
ests in  all  the  markets  of  the  world  and  are  supplied  with  money  to  use  in 
manipnlatiou  of  the  market. 

On  this  ground  I  feel  quite  confident  that  the  Treasury  of  the  United 
States  receives  more  money,  net,  under  the  system  now  in  operation  than 
it  would  by  taking  the  exclusive  control  of  the  business;  were  any  Gov- 
ernment ofScer  supplied  with,  say,  §100,000,  to  expend  in  "  working  the 
market,"  and  intrusted  with  the  disposal  of  100,000  seal-skins,  whenever  he 
could  so  do  to  the  best  advantage  of  the  Government,  and  were  this  agent 
a  man  of  first-class  business  energy  and  ability,  I  think  it  quite  likely  the 
same  success  might  attend  his  labor  in  the  London  market  that  distinguishes 
the  management  of  the  Alaska  Commercial  Company;  but  the  usual  cry  of 
fraud  and  robbery  that  would  be  raised  against  him,  however  honest  he  might 
be,  would  be  such  as  to  bring  the  whole  business  into  positive  disrepute  or 
constant  suspicion.  The  Government  officer  in  this  matter  is  placed  at  a 
great  disadvantage  should  any  such  line  of  action  be  adopted,  and  the  most 
prolitable  course  is  for  the  Government  not  to  offer  in  the  markets  through 
agents,  but  to  pursue  its  present  policy,  levy  a  tax,  and  watch  carefully  the 
condition  of  the  seal-life  from  year  to  year,  as  the  killing  is  increased  and 
the  business  developed  to  its  full  extent. 

In  this  way  Alaska  may  be  made  to  yield,  by  a  tax  laid  on  its  Seal  Islands 
alone,  a  very  handsome  rate  of  interest  upon  the  money  paid  for  the  entire 
Territory. 


96  ALASKA. 

or  jealous  antliority  that  the  lessees  can  and  do  take  tliousands 
of  skins  iu  excess  of  the  limit  of  law,  and  that  this  catch  iu 
excess  is  slyly  shipped  to  China  and  Japan  from  the  islands,  &c. 

To  show  the  folly  of  any  such  move  as  this  on  the  part  of  the 
company,  if  even  it  were  possible,  I  will  briefly  recapitulate 
the  conditions  under  which  the  skins  are  taken.  The  natives 
do  all  the  driving  and  skinning  for  the  company ;  no  others  are 
permitted  or  asked  to  land  upon  the  islands  to  do  this  work  as 
long  as  the  inhabitants  of  the  islands  are  equal  to  it.  Every 
skin  taken  by  the  natives  is  counted  by  themselves,  as  they 
get  forty  cents  per  pelt  for  the  labor;  and  at  the  expiration  of 
every  day's  labor  in  the  field  the  natives  know  exactly  how 
many  skins  have  been  taken  by  them,  how  many  of  these  skins 
have  been  rejected  by  the  company's  agent  because  they  were 
cai'elessly  cut  and  dam.'iged  in  skinning,  (usually  about  three- 
fourths  of  1  per  cent,  of  the  whole  catch,)  and  they  have  it  re- 
corded every  evening  by  those  au)ong  themselves  who  are  si)e- 
cially  charged  with  the  dut^'.  Thus,  were  150,000  skins  taken, 
or  200,000,  the  natives  would  know  it  as  quickly  as  it  was 
done, and  would  demand  their  compensation  for  the  labor;  and 
were  any  ship  to  approach  the  islands  at  any  hour  of  the  day 
or  night,  these  people  would  know  it  at  once,  and  would  be 
awai'e  of  any  shipment  of  skins  that  might  be  attempted.  It 
would  be  common  talk  among  the  three  hundred  and  seventy 
inhabitants,  and  thus  leave  it  an  open  afl'air  to  any  i)erson  who 
might  come  upon  the  ground  charged  with  investigation. 
These  people  are  constantly  going  to  and  from  Ounalashka, 
where  they  have  intimate  intercourse  with  bitter  enemies  of 
the  company,  to  whom  they  would  not  hesitate  to  tell  the  whole 
state  of  affairs  on  the  islands.  Should  anything,  therefore,  be 
done  contrary  to  the  law,  the  act  would  be  promptly  reported 
by  these  people,  even  if  the  Treasury  agents  were  in  collusion 
with  the  company,  which,  however,  is  simply  out  of  the  ques- 
tion. 

The  Treasury  agents  count  these  skins  into  the  ship,  and  one 
at  least  of  their  number  goes  down  to  San  Francisco  upon  the 
vessel,  where  they  are  all  counted  out  again  by  the  custom- 
house oflQcers  of  that  port.  Of  the  one  hundred  thousand  skins 
annually  taken,  the  company's  steamer  "Alexander"  usually 
carries  down  between  sixty  and  seventy  thousand,  while  the 
balance  of  the  catch  are  put  into  the  hold  of  a  sailing-vessel 


ALASKA.  97 

at  Ouualasklia,  and  counted  again  and  certified  to  by  the  Treas- 
ury agent. 

It  will  at  once  be  seen  by  examining  the  state  of  affairs  and 
the  conditions  upon  which  the  lease  is  granted,  that  the  most 
scrupulous  care  in  fulfilling  the  terms  of  the  contract  is  the 
best  and  most  profitable  course  for  the  lessees  to  i)ursue;  that 
it  would  be  downright  folly  in  them  to  deviate  in  the  slightest 
degree  from  the  letter  of  the  law,  and  thus  lay  themselves  open 
at  any  time  to  discovery  and  the  loss  of  their  contract ;  their 
action  can  be  investigated  at  any  time  by  Congress,  of  which 
they  are  aware.  They  cannot  bribe  these  three  hundred  and 
seventy-odd  people  on  the  islands  to  secrecy  any  more  than 
they  can  conceal  their  action  from  them  on  the  sealing-tields; 
and  any  man  of  average  ability  can  go  among  these  people  and 
inform  himself  as  to  the  most  minute  details  of  the  sealing- 
catch  from  the  time  the  lease  was  granted,  should  he  have  rea- 
son to  suspect  the  honesty  of  the  Treasury  agents. 

I  therefore  have  no  hesitation  in  stating  that  as  far  as  the  re- 
lationship existing  between  the  Alaska  Commercial  Company 
and  the  Government  is  concerned,  the  best  interests  of  the  lat- 
ter are  honestly  and  faithfully  served,  simply  because  it  is  the 
very  best  policy  for  the  former  so  to  do ;  that  all  the  conditions 
of  the  lease  are  most  scrupulously  complied  with  and  observed, 
and  that  the  lessees  hold  themselves  ready  at  any  moment  to 
comply  with  any  just  and  proper  modification  of  the  regulations 
that  time  may  develop. 

With  regard  to  the  profits  of  this  company  upon  their  yearly 
catch  of  one  hundred  thousand  seals,  the  agents  of  the  Gov- 
ernment have  no  concern  whatever ;  after  they  have  observed 
the  faithful  fulfillment  of  the  terms  of  the  contract  existing  be- 
tween the  company  and  the  Government,  the  amount  of  their 
profit  is  a  pure  matter  of  business  ov^er  which  the  let-sees  have 
entire  control,  and  in  regard  to  which  they  should  not  be- sub- 
jected to  impertinent  inquisition. 

THE   CO^^DITION   OF   THE  NATIVES  ON  THE  SEAL  ISLANDS. 

This  has  been  wonderfully  improved  by  the  action  of  the  les- 
sees during  the  short  time  they  have  had  control  of  affairs  there. 
The  truth  of  this  will  be  realized  by  any  one  who  may  take  the 
trouble  to  contrast  the  present  condition  of  the  people  on  these 
islands  with  what  it  was  previous  to  the  granting  of  the  lease, 
and  with  that  also  of  the  people  of  their  class  who  are  now 
7  AL 


98  ALASKA. 

living  upon  tbe  Aleutian  Islands  and  the  mainland.  Tlie  rn- 
quirer  will  learn  that  these  people,  now  so  well  and  comfort- 
ably clad,  fed,  and  housed,  were  at  the  time  of  the  tiansler  of 
the  Territory  so  poor  and  ill-provided  for  that  they  could  not 
in  many  instances  cover  their  nakedness  ;  that  they  existed  in 
absolute  squalor;  whereas  they  are  now  living  in  snug  houses, 
such  as  our  laboring  classes  occupy  in  the  United  States ;  that 
they  earn  and  receive  in  coin,  in  less  than  two  working-months 
every  year,  more  than  the  same  number  of  our  common  work- 
ingmen  receive  on  an  average  for  a  whole  year's  service  ;  and 
also  that  for  all  extra  work  other  than  of  seal-skinning,  such 
as  loading  and  unloading  the  company's  vessels,  building,  grad- 
ing, «S:;c.,  these  people  are  paid  by  the  day  from  fifty  cents  to 
one  dollar,  according  to  the  character  of  service  rendered. 

The  agents  of  the  company  here  do  not  pay  the  least  atten- 
tion to  or  interfere  with  the  private  life  and  personal  rehitions 
of  the  people  among  themselves ;  and  let  me  here  state,  to  the 
credit  of  these  people,  that  the  peaceful  and  harmonious  man- 
ner in  which  they  live  together  as  a  rule,  during  nine  idle 
mouths  at  least  every  year,  would  contrast  most  favorably  with 
the  lives  of  an  equal  number  of  our  own  working  classes  were 
they  suddenly  brought  to  these  islands  and  put  on  the  same 
footing.  I  will  only  hint  at  the  insubordination  and  utter 
worthlessness  of  such  a  community  after  six  or  eight  mouths 
of  torpidity  and  isolation. 

It  is  true  that  the  natives  here  have  an  inordinate  fondness 
for  liquor,  and  would  destroythemselves  were  they  not  restrained 
in  this  propensity  by  the  difficulty  of  obtaining  this  demoraliz- 
ing beverage,  and  hence  the  importance  of  the  liquor  i)rohibi- 
tion,  which  should  be  rigorously  enforced. 

Only  a  small  proportion  of  the  present  population  are  de- 
scendants of  the  pioneers  who  were  brought  by  the  several 
Eussian  companies  in  1787-'88 — a  colony  of  137  souls — recruited 
I)rincipally  from  the  Aleuts  at  Ounalashka  and  Atka.  Their 
early  life  here  was  one  of  much  hardship,  and  on  several  occa- 
sions they  were  in  actual  need.  They  lived  in  a  co-operative 
manner  at  first, in  large  barracoous  or  bariabkies,  i)artly  under- 
ground, economizing  in  this  way  their  limited  supply  of  fire- 
wood, beiug  dependent  upon  the  sea  for  such  drift  timber  as 
might  chance  to  lodge  as  the  currents,  deflected  from  the  Yau- 
kou  and  elsewhere,  sweep  around  the  islands  j  but  during  the 


ALASKA.  99 

past  twenty-five  or  tliirty  years  they  have  all  come  into  the 
general  ownership  and  occupation  of  a  hut  to  a  family. 

Thelvussian  Fur  Company,  controlling  the  islands,  maintained 
on  Saint  Paul  and  Saint  George  a  store  and  an  agent,  the 
people  supporting  a  priest  and  building  a  church  upon  each 
island,  and  living  in  this  manner  very  dirty,  poor,  and  miser- 
able, they  were  brought  into  contact  with  the  Americans  at 
the  time  of  the  transfer  of  the  Territory. 

The  people  are  now  supplied  without  charge  with  a  physi- 
cian and  medical  stores  on  each  island,  and  also  a  school ;  but 
the  school  is  not  well  attended  except  by  the  very  young  chil- 
dren, principally  the  little  girls,  although  every  winter  fifteen 
or  twenty  of  the  boys  and  young  men  are  taught  the  Russian 
alphabet  and  church-service  by  three  or  four  of  the  elder  per- 
sons. The  non-attendance  at  school  is  not  to  be  ascribed  merely 
to  indisposition  on  the  part  of  the  children  and  parents  to  at- 
tend the  English  schools  established  by  the  Alaska  Commercial 
Company  on  both  islands.  The  view  expressed  to  the  writer  b^- 
one  of  the  oldest  and  most  intelligent  of  the  people  may  be 
explanatory  of  their  feeling  and  consequent  action. 

"I  do  not,"  said  old  Philip  Yollkov,  "  have  any  objection  to 
the  attendance  of  my  children,  nor  have  my  neighbors  to  that 
of  theirs,  on  your  (English)  school;  but  if  our  boys  and  young 
men  neglect  their  Russian  lessons,  who  is  going  to  take  our 
places  when  we  die,  in  our  church,  at  our  christenings,  and  at 
our  burials?'"  To  any  one  familiar  with  the  teachings  of  the 
Greek  Catholic  faith  the  objection  of  Vollkov  is  well  taken ; 
but  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  in  the  course  of  time,  however,  the 
Russian  church-service  may  be  conducted  in  English,  for  until 
then  no  satisfactory  work  can  be  done  by  an  English  school- 
teacher among  them  in  the  w'ay  of  education. 

Up  to  the  time  of  the  transfer  of  the  islands  to  the  Alaska 
Commercial  Company  the  inhabitants  all  lived  in  huts  or  sod- 
walled  and  dirt-roofed  houses  or  barrabkies,  partly  under- 
ground. jMost  of  these  huts  Mere,  and  are,  damp,  dark,  and 
exceedingly  filthy.  Under  the  Russian  regime  the  people  gen- 
erally here  had  some  excuse  for  such  squalor  ;  but  as  the  case 
now  stands  it  is  due  to  the  improvidence  or  shiftlessnessof  the 
natives  themselves  if  they  are  living  in  this  unclean  condition 
and  wear  an  appearance  of  discomfort.  The  use  of  seal-fat  for 
fuel  causes  the  deposit  upon  everything  within  doors  of  a  thick 
coating  of  greasy,  black  soot,  strongly  impregnated  with  a  rank, 


100  ALASKA. 

moldy,  and  indescribably  oifensive  odor.  In  early  times  tbey 
were  obliged  to  burn  blubber  very  largely,  having  no  other  fuel 
at  command  than  the  ])recarious  supj)ly  of  drift-wood  that  the 
ocean-currents  might  bring  them  ;  but  by  the  terms  of  the  lease 
they  are  now  supplied  with  a  suflicieut  quantity  of  coal  to  make 
them  quite  comfortable  during  tbe  winter. 

Since  the  Alaska  Commercial  Com])any  have  taken  posses- 
sion of  the  islands,  the  natives  are  being  quite  rapidly  j)ui  into 
neat  and  habitable  houses,  and  plenty  of  lumber  is  distributed 
among  those  who  have  not  as  yet  been  removed  to  patch  and 
make  comfortable  their  old  huts,  and  at  the  expiration  of  three 
more  seasons  the  whole  popukition  of  above  eighty  famibc^s 
will  be  occupants  of  as  many  suitable  houses,  where  they  will 
live  more  healthily. 

The  example  of  the  agents  of  the  company  on  both  islands 
and  the  assistant  agent  of  the  Treasury  on  Saint  George  during 
the  last  three  years,  who  have  maintained  perfect  order,  neat- 
ness, and  industry  about  their  buildings  and  business,  has  been 
a  silent  but  powerful  one  for  the  better  among  the  people.  The 
intercourse  of  these  gentlemen  with  the  natives  is  always  court- 
eous, pleasant,  and  often  generous,  when  deserved;  giving 
the  simple  inhabitants  a  slow  but  steady  elevation  toward  mo- 
rality, sobriety,  and  industry,  such  as  they  never  have  had  be- 
fore, having  been  treated  like  so  many  animals  by  the  Russians ; 
and  the  conduct  of  most  of  the  United  States  revenue  and  mil- 
itary ofSoers  and  men  stationed  here  between  the  transfer  of 
the  Territory  and  the  granting  of  the  lease  cannot  be  described 
as  other  than  disgraceful,  their  behavior  being  marked  by  drunk- 
enness, debauchery,  and  brawls,  their  habits  soon  rendering 
the  luxme  American  oifensive  to  even  these  simple  people. 

The  population  of  Saint  Paul  is,  at  the  present  writing,  220 
men,  v»'omen,  and  children;  that  of  Saint  George,  138.  It  has 
neither  much  increased  nor  diminished  during  the  last  fifty 
years,  but  would  have  fallen  off  had  not  recruits  been  regularly 
drawn  from  the  mainland  and  other  islands,  the  births  not 
being  equal  to  the  deaths.  In  view  of  the  great  improvement 
in  their  condition,  it  may  be  reasonably  anticipated  that  these 
people  will  at  least  hold  their  own,  even  though  they  do  not 
increase  to  any  remarkable  degree. 

As  an  incentive  and  encouragement  for  their  good  behavior, 
they  have  been  assured  that  as  long  as  they  are  capable  and 
willing  to  perform  the  labor  of  skinning  the  seal-catch,  so  long 


ALASKA.  101 

will  they  enjoy  the  exclusive  privilege  of  participating  in  this 
labor  and  its  reward.  As  to  the  especial  fitness  of  these  people 
for  the  labor  connected  with  the  sealing  bnsiuess,  no  comment 
is  needed;  nothing  better  in  the  way  of  mamial  service,  skilled 
and  rapid,  conld  be  rendered  by  any  other  body  of  men  eqnal 
in  numbers.  They  appear  to  shake  off  the  periodic  lethargy  of 
winter,  and  rush  with  enthusiasm  into  the  severe  exercise  and 
duty  of  capturing,  killing,  and  skinning  the  seals. 

Seal-meat  is  their  staple  food,  and  the  village  of  Saint  Paul, 
220  souls,  consumes  about  400  pounds  per  diem,  and  they  are 
permitted  every  fall  to  kill  about  5,000  pups,  or  an  average  of 
22  or  23  to  each  man,  woman,  and  child.  The  pups  will  dress 
10  pounds.  This  shows  an  average  consumption  of  515  pounds 
of  seal-meat  to  each  person  during  the  year.  In  addition,  the 
natives  eat  a  great  deal  of  butter  and  sweet  crackers.  If  these 
people  could  get  all  they  desire,  they  would  consume  about  500 
pounds  of  butter  and  450  pounds  sweet  crackers  ])er  week,  and 
indefinite  quantities  of  sugar.  Of  this  article,  150  pounds  a 
week  is  allowed  them  in  this  village.  If  nnable  to  get  sweet 
crackers,  they  consume  about  300  pounds  of  hard  or  pilot  bread, 
and,  in  addition  to  this,  about  GOO  pounds  of  flour  per  week  :  of 
tobacco,  50  pounds;  candles,  75  pounds;  rice,  50  pounds  each 
lier  week ;  they  burn  over  GUO  gallons  of  keroseue  oil  during  the 
year;  vinegar  is  used  in  limited  quantities,  about  50  gallons  per 
season ;  mustard  and  pepper,  ^  to  lA  pounds  per  week  for  the 
whole  village;  beans  they  reject;  split  pease,  a  few;  salt  meats 
they  will  take  reluctantly  if  given  to  them,  but  will  never  buy 
them  ;  they  use  a  little  cofiee  during  the  year,  about  100  pounds ; 
canned  fruit  they  will  purchase  to  any  quantity,  and  would 
bankrupt  themselves  to  obrain  it,  if  the  opportunity  were  afford- 
ed; potatoes  they  sometimes  demand,  as  well  as  onions,  but 
these  vegetables  cannot  be  brought  here  to  advantage. 

The  question  will  nsiturally  be  asked,  How  do  these  people 
employ  themselves  throughout  the  long  nine  months  in  which 
they  have  little  or  nothing  to  do?  It  may  be  answered  that 
they  are  entirely  idle  during  most  of  this  period.  Some  of  the 
men  are,  however,  disagreeable  exceptions,  as  they  are  enthu- 
siastic gamblers,  passing  whole  nights  at  their  sittings,  even 
during  the  sealing-season,  playing  games  at  cards  taught  them 
by  the  Russians  and  persons  who  have  been  on  the  islands  since 
the  transfer  of  the  Territory.  But  the  majority  of  the  men, 
women,  and  children,  being  compelled  to  make  no  exertion  to 


102  ALASKA. 

obtain  the  necessaries  of  life— sach  as  seal-meat,  Larrt  bread, 
tea,  &c. — sleep  most  of  tbe  time  when  unoccupied  in  cooking, 
eating,  and  tbe  daily  observance  of  tbe  routine  of  tbe  Greek 
Catholic  Church.  Their  rebgious  duties  alone  preserve  them 
from  absolute  stagnation  ;  for,  in  obedience  to  its  teachings, 
they  attend  church  quite  regularly,  make  and  receive  calls  on 
their  saints'  days,  which  are  very  numerous,  and  their  birth- 
days are  generally  enlivened  with  home-brewed  beer,  or  "  quass," 
upon  which  all  classes  become  more  or  less  intoxicated.  They 
add  to  these  entertainments  of  the  emannimUc  the  music  of  the 
accordeon,  an  instrument  of  which  they  are  very  fond  ;  and  a 
great  number  of  the  women  in  particular  can  play  inditfer- 
ently  a  limited  selection  of  airs,  many  of  which  are  the  old 
battle-songs  and  ballads  so  popuhir  during  the  rebellion,  and 
which  the  soldiers  quartered  here  in  18G9  taught  them.  From 
the  soldiers,  also,  they  learned  to  dance  various  iigures,  and  to 
waltz.  These  dances,  however,  the  old  folks  do  not  enjoy,  and 
they  seldom  indulge  in  them,  unless  under  the  intluence  of  beer. 

From  the  following  statement  it  will  be  seen  that  these  people 
are  doing  better  work  every  succeeding  season ;  for  example, 
90,000  seals  were  taken  this  year  in  sixteen  days  less  time  than 
it  took  to  get  75,000  in  1871,  viz : 

In  Saint  Paul's  Island,  1871,55  days' work  of  GO  men  secured 
75,000  seals. 

In  1872,  50  days'  work  of  71  men  secured  75,000  seals. 

In  1873,  40  days'  work  of  71  men  secured  75,000  seals. 

In  1874,  39  days'  work  of  84  men  secured  90,000  seals.* 

This  shows  plainly  that  they  are  in  better  physical  condition 
than  at  hrst ;  it  furnishes  also  undeniahle inoof  of  the  undimin- 
ished supply  of  killable  seals. 

INHABITANTS    OF    SAINT    PAUL,    JULY    1,    1870,    TAKEN    FROM 
PHILIP  VOLKOV'S    LISTS,   AUGUST  8,   1873. 

[The  names  in  italics  are  either  dead  or  absent  from  the  island  at  the  present  writing.] 

1.  Philip  Keemachneek.  G.  Mareena,  Ms  icife. 

2.  JEfft'oseenia,  hisivife.  7.  Alexsandcr,  his  so7i. 

3.  Ivan,  his  son.  8.  Sylvester,  Ms  son. 

4.  Danelo,  Ms  son.  9.  Eefeem  Anoolanalc. 

5.  Vasseele  Seedoolee.  10.  Matroona,  Ms  wife. 

*Tl)is  increase  of  15,000  on  Saint  Paul  was  made  this  season  with  a 
E,inn\iiv  reduction  on  Saint  Geoi'ge;  tbe  proportion  of  seal-life  being  small  on 
the  latter  compared  with  tbe  former. 


11. 

Simeon,  adopted  son. 

50. 

12. 

Marlca  Aveelyah. 

51. 

13. 

Fcclceehat,  his  u-ife. 

14. 

Peter  Peesheiikov. 

52. 

15. 

Matrooua,  bis  wife. 

53. 

IG. 

Ivan  Eemanov. 

54. 

17. 

Anna,  his  wife. 

55. 

18. 

Yeagor,  his  son. 

5G. 

19. 

Loobov,  his  stepclaugbter. 

57. 

20. 

Maxseem,  bis  step-sou. 

21. 

INIaria,  bis  niece. 

58. 

22. 

Nickolai  Krukov. 

59. 

23. 

Peter  Krukov. 

GO. 

24. 

Agrafeena,  his  wife. 

CI. 

25. 

Ivan  Korcbooteen. 

G2. 

2G. 

Ooleeana,  his  wife. 

G3. 

27. 

Yabkov  Koocbootin. 

G4. 

28. 

Lookabria,  bis  sister. 

05. 

29. 

yatalia  Mal-ooleena. 

GG. 

30. 

Maria  Parancbina. 

G7. 

31. 

Keesar  Sbabbjlean. 

08. 

32. 

Agrafeena,  bis  wife. 

G9. 

33. 

Xeckou,  his  sou. 

70. 

34. 

Eilhsim ia  Plottn iko va. 

71. 

35. 

Avdotia,  her  daughter. 

72. 

3G. 

Prokoopee  Meeseekiu. 

73. 

37. 

Eveduxsia,  his  wife. 

38. 

Avdotia    Meeseekina,   bis 

74. 

step -mother. 

75. 

39. 

Anna,  daughter  of  Meesee- 

7G. 

kiu. 

40. 

Deemeetree  Veatkiu. 

78. 

41. 

Evelampia  Yeatkiu. 

79. 

42. 

Balakshiu,  (Benedict.) 

80. 

43. 

Matrooua,  his  wife. 

81. 

44. 

Meexbae,  his  son. 

82. 

45. 

,  Balakshiu,  2d,  (Benedict.) 

83. 

4G. 

,  Stepan  Krukov. 

84. 

47. 

.  Natalia,  his  wife. 

85. 

48, 

.  Avdokia     Seeribneekova, 

8G. 

(widow.) 

87. 

49 

.  Tiiuofay,  her  sou. 

88. 

103 

Olga,  her  daughter. 

Paraskeevee,    her  daugh- 
ter. 

Akooleena,  her  daughter. 

Michael  Barrbov. 

Malauia,  his  wife. 

Agues,  bis  daughter. 

Dauiel,  his  nephew\ 

Avdotia  Schepeteeuah, 
(widow.) 

Tahreentee,  her  sou. 

Elarie,  her  sou. 

Hee  uue-iah,  her  daughter. 

Kerick  Booterin,  1st  chief. 

Seeg-lee-teekiab,  his  wife. 

Patalamon,  his  son. 

Kerick,  his  son. 

Saloinayee,  his  daughter. 

Ooleeta,  his  daughter. 

George  Booterin,  his  son. 

Carp  Booterin. 

Lookariah  Booterin. 

Alexander  Paucov. 

Porfeerie,  his  sou. 

Avdotia,  his  step-daughter. 

Paraskeevie,  his  step- 
daughter. 

Yakov  Sooty  ah  gin. 

Eeroadea,  bis  wife. 

Feedosayee  Saydeek. 

Anesia,  bis  wife. 

Anna,  bis  daughter. 

Feoktista,  bis  god-mother. 

Dayneese  Saydeek. 

Baiz  yahzeel-ov,  {Edanqjia.) 

An7ia,  his  wife. 

Maria,  his  daughter. 

]\Iaroon  Nakock. 

Paraskeevie,  bis  wife. 

Zacbar,  his  step-sou. 

,  nephew. 

Paraskeevie,  niece. 


104 


ALASKA. 


103. 
101. 

105. 


89.  Natalia  Habaroova.  127. 

90.  Pavel  IJabarov,  ber  son.  128. 

91.  Faul  Shics-neel'ov,  {^^riest.)  129. 

92.  Mechahelo,  his  son.  130. 

93.  Meeloveedova,Alexsandra,  131. 

(widow.)  132. 

91.  Simeon,  lier  son.  133. 

95.  Alexsandra,  her  daughter.  134. 

9G.  Autone,  lier  son.  135. 

97.  Marcia,  ber  daugbter.  13G. 

98.  Kerick  Artamauov.  137. 

99.  Olga,  his  wife.  138. 

100.  Melauia,  bis  daugbter.  139. 

101.  Yasseleesee,  bis  daugbter.  140. 

102.  Kab-sayn-jab,  bis  141. 

daugbter.  142. 

Gearman  Artamauov.  143. 

Anna  Tarautayvab,  144. 

(widow.)  145. 

Anna,  ber  daugbter.  I'lG. 

100.  Stepan  Bayloglazov.  1^^- 

107.  Yealeeua,  bis  wife.  I'iS- 

108.  Sai/rgee,  his  son.  140. 

109.  Anna,  bis  daugbter.  150. 

110.  Paraskeevie,  bis  adopted  151. 

girl.  152. 

111.  Ermolie  Cusbing.  153. 

112.  Faokla,  bis  wife.  154. 

113.  Faokla,  bis  daugbter.  155. 

114.  Oolyabnab,  bis  daugbter.  156, 

115.  Aggie  Cusbing,  bis  son.  157. 
IIG.  Autone  Sootyabgeu.  158. 

117.  Oolyabnab,  bis  wife.  159, 

118.  Meetrofau,  bis  sou.  100. 

119.  Meehaie,  his  son. 

120.  Yabkov  Mandrigau.  IGl. 

121.  Afanasbia,  bis  wife. 

122.  Loolcaylccan,  his  son.  1G2. 

123.  Maria,  bis  daugbter.  1G3. 

124.  Oseep  Pabomov.  1G4. 

125.  Varvarab,  bis  wife.  1G5. 

126.  Maria  Seedova,  (widow.)  IGG. 


Abkakee,  ber  sou. 

,  daugbter. 

,  daugbter. 

,  daugbter. 

,  daughter. 

Alexsayee  Neederazov. 

Akooleena,  bis  wife. 

Cbristeeua,  bis  daugbter. 

Agrafeena,  bis  daugbter. 

Keer  Saydeek. 

Yealeena,  bis  wife. 

Maria,  his  daughter. 

Ivau  3Iandrigau. 

Tatabyabn,  bis  wife. 

Yasseelee,  bis  sou. 

]Marfa,  bis  daugbter. 

Feelat  Teetov. 

Peter,  bis  sou. 

Yeaon,  bis  son. 

Yeagor  Arkasbav. 

Alexsandra,  bis  wife. 

Martin,  bis  step-son. 

Nekolaie,  bis  step-sou. 

Stepan,  bis  step  son. 

Kereek,  bis  son. 

Arsaynee,  his  son. 

Tatayabnab,  his  daugbter. 

Timofay  Evanov. 

Fevronia,  bis  daugbter. 

Paymen  Kooznitzov. 

Oseep  Baizyabzeekov. 

Alexsandra,  bis  wife. 

Paul,  bis  son. 

Kabsaynyab,  bis  step- 
daughter. 

AvdoUia,  bis  step-daugh- 
ter. 

Kahsaynyah,  his  daughter. 

Ivan  Paranchin. 

Zabarrov  Evemainov. 

Keereenayah,  bis  wife. 

Fevronia,  bis  daugbter. 


ALASKA. 


105 


167.  Ivan  Ilapov.  205. 

1G8.  Anna,  sister-in-law.  200. 

1G9.  Alexsandra^Ms  daugliier.  207. 

170.  Ivan,  his  son.  208. 

171.  Yeagor  Koicliootin.  209. 

172.  Zachar  Saydeek.  210. 

173.  Oosteeuia,  his  wife.  211. 

174.  Yasseelee,  his  son.  212. 

175.  Marvra,  his  danghter.  213. 
170.  Kelvn^  his  nephew .  214. 

177.  Feelip  Saydeek.  215. 

178.  Stepan  Skahvortsov.  216. 

179.  rhilip  Vollkov.  217. 

180.  Ellen,  his  danghter.  218. 

181.  Matroona,  his  daughter.  219. 

182.  Markiel  Vollkov,  his  son.  220. 

183.  Gavreelo  Korchurgin.  221. 

184.  Lnkajlean,  his  sou.  222. 

185.  Ivan  Sooiyahgen.  223. 
180.  Heeyoniah,  his  wife.  224. 

187.  Aneesia,  his  daughter.  225. 

188.  Einelian  Sootyahgen.  220. 

189.  Marko  Korchootin.  227. 

190.  Dare:7ah,  his  wife.  228. 

191.  Ivan,  his  son. 

192.  Zeenovia,  his  daughter.  229. 

193.  Timofay  Giotto  v.  230. 

194.  Maria,  his  wife.  231. 

195.  ,  Ms  son. 

190.  Ivan,  his  son. 

197.  Yeafeemia,  his  daughter.  1. 

198.  Iraklin  Mandrigan.  2. 

199.  Oosteeuie,  his  wife.  3. 

200.  Eeon,  his  son.  4. 

201.  Paul  Soovorrov.  5. 

202.  Yassa,  his  wife.  6. 

203.  ,  his  son.  7. 

204.  Akyleena,  his  mother.  8. 


Afjrafccno,  his  adopted  (jirl. 
Eefeem  Korchootin. 
Pahdigayee,  his  wife. 
Peter,  his  son. 
Lnka  Mandrigan. 
Eereena,  his  wife. 
Neekeeta  Yitchmaino.v 
Christeena,  his  daughter. 
Domenah,  his  daughter. 
Taheesah,  liis  daughter. 
Ivan  Yitchmamov. 
IMichael  Korzerov. 
Alexsandra,  his  wife. 
Stepan  Korzerov. 
Paul  Korzerov. 
Ivan  Kozlov. 
Palahgayah,  his  mother. 
Feodor,  her  sou. 
Uvediiclcsia,  her  daughter, 
Phitone  Tarakanov. 
Marfa,  his  wife. 
Alcoolena,  his  mother. 
Kericlc  Tarakanov. 
Domiau    M.   Kok,   (John 

Prater.) 
Oolyahnah,  his  wife. 
Anna,  his  daughter. 
Salomayali,  Artomanov's 

daughter. 
White  men  in  charge. 
Dr.  Mc  In  tyre. 
H.  W.  Mclntyre. 
Dr.  Cramer. 
John  M.  Morton. 
Chas.  Bryant. 
D.  Webster. 

,  a  cooper, 

,  a  carpenter. 


106  ALASKA. 

A^inual  division  or  cash  settlement  made  hy  the  natives  on  Saint 
PaiiPs  Island,  among  themselves,  the  ])roceeds  of  their  ivork  in 
taling  and  sMnning  75,000  seals,  at  40  cents  per  sl;in,  $30,000, 
with  extra  icork  connected  with  it,  malcing  $30,037.37. 

Sevonty-iour  shares,  proportioned  as  follows  : 

December  31,  1872. — 37  first  class  shares,  at $451  22  racb. 

23  second-class  shares,  at .     40G  99  each. 

4  third-class  shares,  at. . .     3G0  97  each. 

10  fourth-class  shares, at..     315  85  each. 

The  shares  do  not  represent  more  than  Ibrty-flve  able-bodied 

men. 

Annual  division  or  cash  settlement  made  hy  the  people  on  Saint 
George's  Island,  among  themselves,  the  proceeds  of  their  tcorJc  in 
talcing  and  skinning  25,000  seals,  at  40  cents  per  skin,  $10,000. 

Aug.  1, 1873.— 17  shares,  each  961  skins,  or  $384.40.  $G,  294  80 

2  shares,  each  935  skins,  or  $374. . .  748  00 

3  shares,  each  821  skins,  or  $328.40.  985  20 

1  share,  820  skins,  or  $328 328  00 

3  shares,  each  770  skins,  or  $308. . .  924  00 

3  shares,  each  400  skins,  or  $1G0. . .  480  00 

Twenty-nine  shares,  or  the  twenty-nine  laboring  sealers  ;  of 
this  number  two  are  women.  Only  twenty -live  of  them  are 
able-bodied  men. 

The  divisions  above  are  the  result  of  their  own  choice.  They 
make  this  apportionment  among  themselves  without  advice  or 
suggestion  from  the  agents  of  the  company.  Tliese  people  have 
$3,320  on  interest  in  the  office  of  the  Alaska  Commercial  Com- 
pany at  this  date,  and  have  credit  on  the  books  for  $31,800; 
and  when  the  division  is  made  up  on  Saint  Paul  at  the  regu- 
lar annual  time  of  settlement  in  ])ecember,  $30,000  will  be 
added  to  the  above  exhibit. 

The  people  here  are  occupying,  rent-free  at  the  present  time, 
thirty  frame  houses  built  by  and  belonging  to  the  Alaska 
Commercial  Company  on  the  Seal  Islands.  Twenty  of  these 
houses  are  new  frame,  11  by  20  feet. 

These  people  have  their  misers  and  spendthrifts,  but  it  will 
be  seen  that  very  few  of  them  care  much  for  saving  their  money, 
inasmuch  as  only  four  or  tive  of  them  have  as  yet  taken  any 
steps  toward  such  action.  One  man  on  Saint  Paul  has  over 
$1,800  saved,  and  drawing  interest  at  9  per  cent,  to-day. 


ALASKA.  107 

THE    HISTORY     OF     THE    BUSINESS  AS    CONDUCTED    BY     THE 

KUSSIANS. 

[Translated  by  the  writer  from  Voniamiuov's  Zapieskic,  &c.,  Saint  Petersburg, 

1842,  voI.ii,pi).  5Grf.  *] 

From  tlie  time  of  the  discovery  of  the  Prybilov  Islands,  up 
to  1805,  (or  tbilt  is,  uutil  the  time  of  the  arrival  iu  America  of 
General  Resanov,)  the  taking  of  fur-seals  on  both  islands  pro- 
gressed without  connt  or  lists,  and  without  responsible  heads 
or  chiefs,  because  then  (1787  to  1805  inclusive)  there  were  a 
number  of  companies  represented  by  as  many  agents  or  leaders, 
and  all  of  them  vied  with  each  other  in  taking  as  many  as  they 
could  before  the  killing  was  stopped.     After  this,  in  180G  and 

1807,  there  were  no  seals  taken,  and  nearly  all  the  people  were 
removed  to  Ounalashka. 

In  1808  killing  Avas  again  commenced^  but  the  people  iu  this 
yearwereallowed  tokillonlyonSaintGeorge-jOnSaintPaulhunt- 
ers  were  not  permitted  this  year  or  the  next:  it  was  not  until 
the  fourtb  year  after  this  that  as  many  as  half  the  number  pre- 
viously taken  wereanuually  killed.  rromthistime(SaiutGeorge, 

1808,  and  Saint  Paul,  1810)  up  to  1822,  takingfur-seals  progressed 
on  both  islands  without  any  economy  and  with  slight  circum- 
spection, as  if  there  were  a  race  in  killing  for  the  most  skins. 
Cows  were  taken  in  tJie  drives  and  hilled^  and  were  also  driven 
from  the  rookeries  to  places  where  they  were  slaughtered. 

It  was  only  in  1822  that  G.  Moorayvev  (governor)  ordered 
that  young  seals  sbould  be  spared  every  year  for  breeding,  and 
from  that  time  there  were  taken  from  the  Prybilov  Islands,  in- 
stead of  40,000  to  50,000,  which  Moorayvev  ordered  to  be  spared 
in  four  successive  years,  no  more  than  8,000  to  10,000.  Since 
this,  G.  Chestyabkov,  chief  ruler  after  Moorayvev,  estimated 
that  from  the  increase  resulting  from  the  legislation  of  jNIooray- 
vev,  which  was  so  honestly  carried  out  on  the  Prybilov  Islands 
that  in  these  four  years  the  seals  on  Saint  Paul  increased  to 
double  their  previous  number,  be  could  give  an  order  which  in- 
creased the  number  to  be  annually  slain  to  40,000,  and  this  last 
order  or  course  directed  for  these  islands  demanded  as  many 
seals  as  could  be  got,  but  with  all  possible  exertion  hardly 
28,000  were  obtained. 

After  this,  when  it  was  most  plainly  seen  that  the  seals  were, 
on  account  of  this  wicked  killing,  steadily  growing  less  and  less 

*  Tlio  italics  aro  mine,  and  the  translation  is  nearly  literal,  as  might  bo  inferred  by  the 
idiom  here  and  there.— H.  W.  E. 


108  ALASKA. 

in  number,  the  directions  were  observed  for  greater  caution  in 
killing  the  grown  seals  and  young  females  which  came  in  with 
the  droves  of  killing-seals,  and  to  endeavor  to  separate,  if  pos- 
sible, these  from  those  which  should  be  shiin. 

But. all  this  hardly  served  to  do  more  than  keep  the  seals  at 
one  figure  or  number,  and  hence  did  not  cause  an  increase. 
Finally,  in  1834,  the  governor  of  the  company,  upon  the  clear 
(or  "handsome")  argument  of  Baron  Wrangel,  which  was 
l)laced  before  him,  resolved  to  make  new  regulations  respecting 
them,  to  take  eflect  in  the  same  year,  (1834,)  and,  following  this, 
on  the  island  of  Saint  Paul  only  4,000  were  killed  instead  of 
]  2,000. 

On  the  island  of  Saint  George  the  seals  were  allowed  to  rest 
m  1826  and  1827,  and  since  that  time  greater  caution  and  care 
have  been  observed,  and  head-men  or  foremen  have  kept  a  care- 
ful count  of  the  killing. 

From  this  it  will  be  seen  that  no  anxiety  or  care  as  to  the  pres- 
ervation of  the  seal-life  began  until  1805,  (i.  c,  with  the  united 
comj^anies.) 

It  is  further  evident  that  all  half-measures,  seen  or  not  seen, 
were  useful  no  longer,  as  they  only  served  to  preserve  a  small 
portion  of  the  seal-life,  and  only  the  last  step  (1834)  with  the 
present  people  or  inhabitants  has  proved  of  benefit.  And  if 
such  regulations  of  the  company  continue  for  fifteen  years,  (/.  e., 
until  1849,)  it  may  be  truly  said  that  then  t<ie  seal-life  will  be 
attracted  quite  rapidly  under  the  careful  direction  of  head-men, 
so  that  in  quite  a  short  time  a  handsome  yield  may  be  taken 
every  year.  In  connection  with  this  subject,  if  the  company 
are  moderate  and  these  regulations  are  carried  out,  the  seal- 
life  will  serve  them  and  be  depended  upon  as  shown  in  this 
volume.  Table  No.  2. 

Xearlv  all  the  old  men  think  and  assert  that  the  seals  which 
are  spared  every  year,  ("  zapooskat  kotov,")  i.  e.,  those  which 
have  not  been  killed  for  several  years,  are  truly  of  little  use  for 
breeding,  lying  about  as  if  they  were  outcasts  or  disfranchised 
always.  About  these  seals,  they  show  thp^t  after  the  seals  were 
s])ared,  they  were  always  less  than  they  should  be,  as,  for 
instance,  on  the  island  of  Saint  George,  after  two  years  of  sav- 
ing or  sparing  of  5,500  seals,  in  the  first  year  they  got,  instead 
of  10,000  or  8,000,  as  expected,  only  4,778. 

But  this  diminution,  whi(;h  is  shown  in  the  most  convincing 
manner,  (I,)  is  due  to  wrong  and  injustice,  because  it  would  not 


ALASKA.  109 

have  been  otherwise  with  any  kind  of  animals — even  cattle 
would  have  been  exterminated ;  because  a  great  many  here 
think  and  count  that  the  seal-motber  brings  forth  her  young  in 
her  third  year,  i.  c,  the  next  two  years  after  her  own  birth.  As 
it  is  well  shown  here,  the  si)ared  seals  (*'  zapooskie")  were  not  more 
than  three  years  old,  and  tlierefore  it  was  not  possible  to  dis- 
cern the  correct  or  true  numbers  as  they  really  were.  Taking  the 
females  killed  by  the  people,  together  with  all  the  seals  which 
were  purposely  spared,  it  was  seen  that  the  seal-mothers  did 
DOt  begin  to  bear  earlier  tJum  the  fifth  year  of  their  lives.  Illus- 
trative of  this  is  the  following  : 

{a)  On  the  island  of  Saint  George,  after  the  first  "zapooska," 
in  1828,  the  killing  of  five-year-old  seals  was  continued  gradu- 
ally up  to  five  times  as  many  as  at  first;  with  those  of  five 
years  old,  the  killing  stopi)ed  ;  then  next  year  twelve  times  as 
many  six-year-olds  were  observed  on  the  islands  as  compared 
with  their  number  of  the  last  years,  and  with  or  in  the  seventh 
year  came  seven  times  as  many.  This  shows  that  females  born 
in  1828  did  not  begiu  to  bear  young  until  their  fifth  year,  and 
become  with  young  accordingly :  that  the  large  ones  did  not 
appear  or  come  in  six  years,  (from  1828,)  as  is  evident,  for  in 
the  fifth  year  all  the  females  did  not  biiug  forth. 

h.  It  is  known  that  the  male  seals  cannot  become  "seecatchies" 
(adult  bulls)  earlier  than  their  fifth  or  sixth  year;  following 
this,  it  may  be  said  that  the  female  bears  earlier  than  the  fourth 
year. 

c.  If  the  male  seal  cannot  become  a  ball  ("seecatchie") 
earlier  than  the  fifth  year,  then,  as  Buffon  remarks,  "  animals 
cau  live  seven  times  the  length  of  the  period  required  for  their 
maturity;"  therefore  a  seecatch  cannot  live  less  than  thirty  years, 
and  a  female  not  less  than  twenty-eight.* 

Taking  the  opinion  of  Buffon  for  ground  in  saying  that 
animals  do  not  come  to  their  full  maturity  until  one-seventh 

*  "This  remark  is  sustained  by  the  observatiou  of  oklmeu,  and  especially 
by  oue  of  tlio  l)est  Creoles,  Shiesueckov,  who  was  ou  the  island  of  Saint  Paul 
in  1817,  and  who  knows  of  one  "  seecatcb,"  (known  by  a  bald  bead,)  which 
in  that  time  had  already  a  large  berd  of  cows  or  females,  surrounded  and 
hunted  by  a  like  number  of  females  and  strong,  savage  old  bulls ;  therefore 
it  may  be  safely  thought  that  this  bull  did  not  get  his  growth  until  his  lifth 
year,  aud  at  this  time  he  could  not  have  been  less  than  ten  years  old  ;  and 
this  same  bull  came  every  year  to  the  island  and  the  same  place  for  fifteen 
years  in  succession,  up  to  1S3-3,  and  it  was  only  in  the  later  years  that  his 
harem  grew  smaller  aud  smaller  in  number." 


110  ALASKA. 

of  their  lives  has  passed,  it  goes  also  to  prove  that  the  female 
seal  cannot  bear  young  before  her  fourth  year. 

It  is  vrithout  doubt  a  fact  that  female  seals  do  not  begin  to 
bear  young  before  their  fifth  year,  i.  c,  the  next  four  years  after 
the  oue  of  their  birth,  and  not  in  the  third  or  fourth.  Certainly 
we  can  allow  that  some  females  bear  in  their  fourth  year;  that, 
however,  is  not  the  rule,  but  the  exception.  To  make  it  more 
apparent  that  females  cannot  bear  young  in  their  third  year, 
consider  the  two-year-old  females,  and  compare  them  with  "see- 
tatchie"  (adult  bulls)  and  cows,  (adult  females,)  and  it  will  be 
evident  to  all  that  this  is  impossible. 

Do  the  females  bear  young  every  year;  and  how  often  in 
their  lives  do  they  bring  forth  ? 

To  settle  this  question  is  very  difficult,  for  it  is  impossible  to 
make  any  observations  upon  their  movements;  but  I  think  that 
the  females  in  their  younger  years  (or  i)rime)  bring  forth  every 
year,  and  as  they  get  older,  every  other  year  ;  thus  (according 
to  people  accustomed  to  them)  they  may  each  bring  forth  in 
their  whole  lives  from  ten  to  fifteen  young,  and  even  more. 
This  opinion  is  founded  on  the  fact  that  never  (except  in  one 
year,  1832)  have  an  excessive  number  of  females  been  seen 
Avithout  young ;  that  cows  not  pregnant  hardly  ever  come  to  the 
Prybilov  Islands  ;  that  such  females  cannot  be  seen  every  year. 
As  to  how  large  a  number  of  females  do  not  bear,  according  to 
the  opinions  and  personal  observations  of  the  old  people,  the 
following  may  be  depended  upon  with  confidence:  not  more 
than  one-fifth  of  the  mature  or  "  effective"  females  are  without 
young ;  but  to  avoid  erroneous  impressions  or  conflicting  state- 
ments between  others  and  myself,  I  have  had  but  one  season, 
("  trayt")  in  which  to  personally  observe  and  consider  the  multi- 
plication of  seals. 

There  is  one  more  A'ery  important  question  in  the  considera- 
tion of  the  breeding  or  the  increase  of  seals,  and  that  is,  of  the 
number  of  young  seals  horn  in  one  year,  lioio  many  are  males  ;  and 
is  the  number  of  males  always  the  same  in  yroj)ortion  to  the 
females  f 

Judging  from  the  holluschickie  accumulated  from  the  "za- 
pooska"  in  1822-24  on  the  island  of  Saint  Paul,  and  in  182G-'27 
on  the  island  of  Saint  George,  the  number  of  young  males  was 
ver^^  variable ;  for  example,  on  the  island  of  Saint  Paul,  in  three 
years  11,000  seals  were  spared,  and  in  the  following  three  years 
there  were  killed  7,000,  i.  c,  about  two-thirds  of  the  number 


ALASKA.  Ill 

saved ;  opposed  to  this,  on  the  island  of  Saint  George,  from 
8,500  spared  seals  in  two  years,  less  than  3,000  were  taken, 
hardly  one-third. 

Why  this  irregularity  ?  Why  should  more  young  males  be 
born  at  one  time,  and  at  another  less?  Or  why  should  there 
be  years  in  which  many  cows  do  not  bear  young? 

According  to  the  belief  of  the  people  here,  I  think  that  of  the 
number  of  seals  born  every  year,  half  are  males,  and  as  many 
females. 

To  demonstrate  the  above-mentioned  conditions  of  seal-life, 
the  table,  No.  1,  has  been  formed  of  the  number  of  seals  annu- 
ally killed  on  the  Prybilov  Islands  from  1817  to  1838,  (when  this 
work  was  ended.) 

From  this  it  will  be  seen  that — 

1.  No  single  successive  year  presents  a  good  number  of 
seals  killed  as  compared  with  the  previous  year;  the  number  is 
always  less. 

2.  The  annual  number  of  seals  killed  was  not  in  a  constant 
ratio. 

3.  And,  therefore,  in  the  regular  hunting-season  there  is  less 
need  or  occasion  during  the  next  lifteen  years  to  demund  the 
whole  seal  kind. 

4.  Few^er  seals  were  killed  in  those  years  generally-  following 
a  previous  year  in  which  there  were  larger  numbers  of  the 
"holluschickie;"  that  is,  when  the  young  males  were  not  com- 
pletely destroyed,  and  more  were  killed  when  the  number  of 
"  holluschickie  "  was  less. 

5.  The  number  of  "holluschickie"  is  a  true  register  or  show- 
ing of  the  numbers  of  seals;  i.  e.,  if  the  "holluschickie" 
increase  and  exist  like  the  young  females,  and  conversely. 

G.  Holluschickie  break  from  the  (common)  herd  and  gather 
by  themselves  no  earlier  than  the  third  year,  as  seen  in  the  case 
of  the  spared  seals  on  the  islands  of  Saint  George  and  Saint 
Paul,  the  latter  from  1822-'24,  1835-'37,  inclusive;  the  former 
from  182G-'27. 

7.  The  number  of  seals  killed  on  the  island  of  Saint  George 
after  two  years  ("zapooska")  was  resumed  and  gradually  in- 
creased to  five  times  as  many. 

8.  In  the  fifth  year  from  the  first  "zapooskie"  (or  saving)  it 
became  possible  to  count  or  reckon  on  the  number  remaining, 
and  six-year-olds  began  to  appear  twelve  times  as  numerous, 
and  seven-year-olds  came  in  numbers  sevenfold  greater  than 


112  ALASKA. 

their  previous  small  number  5   and,  therefore^  the  number  of 
three-year-old  seals  was  quite  coustant. 

9.  If  on  the  island  of  Saint  George,  in  182G-'27,  the  seals 
bad  not  had  this  rest,  ("zapooska,")  and  the  killing  had  been 
continued,  even  at  the  diminished  ratio  of  one-eighth,  in  1840 
or  1842  there  would  not  have  been  a  single  seal  left,  as  api)ears 
by  the  following  table  : 


Seals. 

1825 5,500 

1826 4,400 

1827 3,520 

1828 2,  BIG 

1629 2,468 

1830 2,160 

1831 1,890 

1832 1,554 


Seals. 

1833 1,3G0 

1834 1,190 

1835 1,040 

1836 850 

1837 700 

1838 580 

1839 500 

1840 400 


10.  Following  two  years  of  "zapooska,"  (saving,)  the  seal -life 
is  enhanced  for  more  than  ten  years,  and  the  loss  sustained  by 
the  company  in  the  time  of  "zapooskov"  (about  8,500)  is  made 
good  in  the  long  run.  The  case  may  be  thus  stated:  If  the 
company  had  not  spared  the  seals  in  1826-'27,  they  would  have 
received,  from  1820  to  1838,  (twelve  years,)  no  more  than  24,000, 
but  by  making  this  zapooska  regulation  for  two  years  they  got 
in  ten  years  31,570,  and,  beyond  this,  they  can  yet  take  15,000 
without  another,  or  any,  zapooska. 

11.  And  in  this  cace,  where  such  an  insignificant  number  of 
seals  was  spared  on  Saint  George,  (about  8,500,)  and  in  such  a 
short  time,  (two  years,)  the  result  was  at  once  significant  every 
year;  that  is,  three  times  more  appeared  than  the  number 
spared.  The  result,  therefore,  must  be  large  annually  on  the 
island  of  Saint  Paul,  where,  in  consequence  of  the  last  orders 
or  directions  of  the  governor,  already  i'our  years  of  saving  have 
been  in  iorce,  in  vrhich  time  over  30,000  seals  have  been  left  for 
breeding. 

On  this  account,  and  in  conformity  with  the  above,  I  here 
present  a  table,  a  prophesy  of  the  seals  that  are  to  come  in  the 
next  fifteen  years  from  7,000  seals  saved  on  the  island  of  Saint 
Paul  in  1835. 

On  the  island  of  Saint  Paul,  at  tlie  direction  of  the  governor, 
a  "zapoosk  "  or  saving  was  made  of  12,700  seals;  that  is,  before 
the  year  1834  there  were  killed  12,700  seals,  and  on  the  following 
year,  if  this  saving  had  not  been  made,  according  to  the  testi- 
mony of  the  inhabitants,  no  more  than  12,200  seals  would  or 


ALASKA.  113 

could  have  been  taken  from  the  islands,  it  being  tlionglit  that 
this  number  (12,200)  was  only  one  twenty-fifth  of  the  whole ; 
bnt  instead  of  killing  12,200,  only  4,052  were  taken,  leaving  in 
1835,  for  breeding,  8,148  fresh  young  seals,  males  and  females, 
together. 

In  making  this  hypothetical  table  of  seals  that  are  to  come, 
I  take  the  average  killing,  that  is,  one-eighth  part,  and  proceed 
on  the  supposition  that  the  number  of  saved  seals  will  not  be 
less  than  7,060. 

In  the  number  of  7,000  seals  we  can  calculate  upon  3,000 
females;  that  is,  a  slight  mnjority  of  males.  With  the  new 
females  born  under  this"  zapooska"  I  place  half  of  those  bom 
the  first  year,  and  so  on. 

Females,  in  the  twelve  or  eighteen  years  next  after  their  birth, 
must  become  less  in  number  from  natural  causes,  and  by  the 
twenty-second  year  of  their  lives  they  must  be  quite  useless  for 
breeding. 

Of  the  number  of  seals  which  may  be  born  during  the  next 
four  years  of  "  zapooska."  or  longer,  we  may  take  half  for 
females.  This  number  is  included  in  the  table,  and  the  males, 
or  "holluschickie,"  make  up  the  total. 

From  the  II  Table,  observe  that — 

1.  Old  females,  that  is,  those  which  in  1835  were  capable  of 
bearing  young,  in  1850  must  be  canceled,  (minus.)  They  prob- 
ably die  in  proportion  of  one-eighth  of  the  whole  number  every 
year. 

2.  For  the  first  four  years  of  zapooska,  until  the  new  females 
begin  to  bear,  their  number  will  be  generally  less. 

3.  A  constant  number  of  seals  wiil  continue  during  the  first 
six  years  of  their  zapooska ;  in  twelve  years  these  seals  will 
double,  in  fourteen  years  they  will  have  increased  threefold  ; 
and  after  fifteen  years  of  this  zapooska  or  saving  of  7,000,  in 
the  first  year  24,000  may  be  taken  from  them,  in  the  second 
28,000,  in  the  third  32,000,  in  the  fourth  30,000,  in  the  fifth  41,000; 
thus  in  five  years  more  that  100,000  can  be  taken.  Then,  under 
the  supervision  of  persons  who  will  see  that  one-fifth  of  the 
seals  be  steadily  spared,  32,000  may  be  taken  every  year  for  a 
long  time. 

4.  Moreover,  from  the  production  of  fifteen  years  "  zapooska" 
there  can  be  taken  from  00,000  to  70,000  hoUuschickie,  which, 
together  with  100,000  seals,^makes  230,000. 

5.  If  this  "zapooska"  for  the  next  fifteen  years  is  not  made 

8  AL 


114  ALASKA. 

for  the  seaMife,  diminution  will  certainly  ensue,  and  all  tbis 
time,  with  all  possible  effort,  no  more  than  50,000  seals  will  be 
taken. 

Here  it  should  be  said  that  this  hypothetical  table  of  the 
probable  increase  of  seals  is  made  on  the  supi)osition  of  the 
decrease  of  females,  and  an  average  is  taken  accordingly. 
Furthermore,  on  the  island  of  Saint  Paul,  in  183G-'37,  instead  of 
7,900  seals  being  killed,  but  4,800  were  taken.  Hence  it  follows 
that  these  1,500  females  thus  saved  in  two  years,  and  which 
are  omitted  from  the  table,  will  also  make  a  very  significant 
addition  to  the  incoming  seals.* 

*  I  jrive  this  chapter  of  Veniamiuov's  without  abridgment,  although  it  is 
full  of  errors,  to  show  that  while  the  Russians  gave  this  matter  evidently 
much  thought  at  headquarters,  yet  they  failed  to  send  some  one  on  to  the 
ground,  who,  by  first  making  himself  acquainted  with  the  habits  of  the 
seals  from  close  observation  of  th*ir  lives,  should  then  be  fitted  to  prepare 
rules  and  regulations  founded  upon  this  knowledge.  These  suggestions  of 
Veuiamiuov  were,  however,  a  vast  improvement  on  the  work  as  it  was  con- 
ducted, and  they  were  adopted  at  once,  but  it  was  not  until  1845  that  the 
great  imj)ortance  of  never  disturbing  the  breeding-seals  was  recognized. 

H.  W.  E. 


ALASKA. 


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ALASKA. 


From  tliis  table  beliold  tbat — 

a.  Every  tifteeu  years,  from  3, GOO  females,  tberecan  be  received 
iu  sixteen  years  24,700  seals j  iu  sisteen  years  still  more;  and 
in  twenty  years  41,040. 

b.  In  the  twenty-first  year  the  incomers  begin  to  diminish, 
provided  that  if  in  the  mean  time,  or  the  following  sixteen  years, 
a  certain  number  of  young  seals  are  not  left  to  breed ;  and 
if  every  year  a  known  number  are  left  to  breed,  then  in  all 
following  years  the  yield  will  never  be  less  than  20,000  every 
year. 

Taule  III. — Calculation  as  to  the   coming  of  the  seals  on  the  island  of  Saint 
George,  made  up  fi'om  two  gears,  and  based  upon  that  experience,  (1827-'28.) 


TT-_ 

1. 

o 

3. 

4. 

5. 

6. 

7. 

8.    '    9. 

10. 

11. 

12. 

Grand 

1826. 

1827. 

1828. 

1829. 

1830. 

1831. 

1832. 

1 

1833.1834. 

1835. 

1830 

1837. 

total. 

1 

1826 

1827 

1828 - 

2,200 
Breeding 
Li"ht    . 

450 

700 
3C0 
700 

700;    700 

coo:  600 

550     400 

1,8501,700 
1,800  1,700 

700 
COO 
250 

700 
600 
100 

700 

600 

CO 

o 

2,000 

■\ 

1,700 

1  .'iOO 

1  200 

1,000 

'         '   '" 

1.200 
l,-,00 

Females 

Holluscbickio  . 

2,  200 
2,200 

2,0:iO 
2,050 

1.700 
l.CuO 

1,500 
1,500 

l,4.-.0 
1,450 

1,7G0 
1,700 

1,550  l,400' 1,350 
1,50011.500:1,400 

Total 

4,400 

4,1003,300 

3,000  2,400J2,900 

3,520 

3,6.-)0'3,400 

3,050 

2,9002.750 

1 

30,  870 

The  actual  taking  of  seals  was  as  follows 


Seals. 


In  1828 4,778 

In  1829 3,661 

In  1830 2,  834 

Inl83L 3,084 

In  1832 3,  296 

In  1833 3,212 

Inl834 3,051 

In  1835   2,  528 

In  1836 2,550 

In  1837 2,  582 


Total 31,476 

From  this  table  it  will  be  seen  that  up  to  1838  my  cal-      Seals. 

culation  makes  a  yield  of 30,  870 

While  the  actual  result  was 31,  476 


Difference  of. 


606 


The  difiFereuce  determines  that  the  hypothesis  upon  wliich 
the  table  is  based  is  correct. 


ALASKA.  117 

A  CONFERENCE  WITH   THE    NATIVES   OF    THE   SEAL  ISLANDS, 

JULY  25-20,  1874. 

For  the  purpose  of  learniHg  what  these  people  mijrht  have  to 
say  ill  regard  to  the  seal  business  as  it  is  now  conducted,  Lieu- 
tenant Maynard  and  myself  asked  the  chiefs  to  select  those 
men  among  themselves  who  knew  most  in  regard  to  the  matter, 
especially  tliose  who  had  been  most  in  the  habit  of  noting  the 
rookeries,  and  have  them  meet  us  privately  to  hear  what  they 
might  feel  disposed  to  do  if  they  had  anything  to  say  in  the 
matter;  and  accordingly  some  fifteen  of  them, oldest  and  wisest, 
including  all  the  chiefs  of  Saint  Paul  and  one  that  belongs  to 
Saint  George,  met  us.  We  had  a  smart  Russian  creole  for  in- 
terpreter, a  sailor  from  our  own  vessel,  and  sat  for  two  long 
evenings  with  them  in  conference.  The  result  maybe  summed 
up  OS  follows : 

In  regard  to  the  condition  of  the  seal-life,  the  natives  are  both 
watchful  and  solicitous,  but  do  not  present  any  argument 
against  the  annual  killing  of  100,000  young  males  over  one  year 
and  under  five,  as  is  now  conducted ;  that  is,  90,000  on  Saint  Paul 
and  10,000  on  Saint  George;  but  the  Saint  Paul  people  have  a 
very  natural  and  strong  feeling  that  they  should  alone  reap  the 
benefit  that  arises  from  the  increase  in  the  number  killed  on 
their  island ;  that  the  $0,000,  which  is  represented  by  the  ad- 
ditional 15,000  killed  last  summer  on  this  island,  should  be 
shared  among  themselves,  and  feel  a  little  sore  about  having 
the  Saint  George  people  come  over  here  to  do  this  work  and  take 
the  proceeds,  which  they  did  on  their  own  island  (Saint  George) 
last  year.  They  do  not  think  90,000  any  too  many  on  Saint 
Paul,  if  they  alone  shall  kill  the  animals  and  take  the  reward; 
but  suddenly,  when  it  is  found  that  they  are  to  be  paid  only  for 
the  original  erroneous  pro  rata,  75,000,  they  become  very  fearful 
of  the  result  of  killing  90,000,  with  as  many  five-year-old  bulls 
as  have  been  killed  this  summer.  As  this  solicitude  is  due  to 
no  other  reason  than  this  very  perceptible  anxiety,  its  expres- 
sion must  be  taken  with  some  reservation.  But  this  constant 
anticipation  of  injurious  results,  even  if  there  exist  no  grounds 
for  apprehension,  is  of  great  advantage  to  both  the  agents  of 
Government  and  the  company;  for  the  public  may  rest  assured 
that  the  first  evidence  of  any  decrease  of  seal-life  on  these  rook- 
eries of  Saint  Paul  will  be  at  once  observed  by  the  jealous  eyes 
of  their  many  native  keepers,  even  were  there  no  agents  of 


118  ALASKA. 

(itlior  party  HOW  in  control  capable  of  discerning  it,wbich  is  not 
likely,  however,  to  be  the  case. 

We  explained  to  them,  in  return,  that  the  law  which  limited 
the  killing-  on  Saint  George  to  25,000,  and  on  Saint  Paul  to 
75,000,  was  based  npon  the  imperfect  information  furnished  by 
the  agents  of  the  Government  sent  to  the  islands,  and  that  kill- 
ing 25,000  out  of  100,000  on  an  island  where  there  was  not 
one-twentieth  of  the  number  of  seals  that  were  on  the  ground 
where  the  remaining  75,000  were  taken,  was  entirely  wrong,  and 
must  be  corrected,  for  the  best  interests  of  all  partfes  concerned ; 
and  that  they  had  no  right  to  profit  at  tlie  expense  of  their 
brethren  on  Saint  George,  who  were  expected,  at  the  tiuie  the 
law  was  made,  to  share  equally  with  them  the  proceeds  of  this 
labor,  and  in  this  spirit  the  defective  law  was  framed.  This 
explanation  appeared  to  relieve  their  minds. 

They  spoke  to  us  with  great  satisfaction  of  the  bettered  con- 
dition in  which  they  are  living  as  compared  with  the  state  in 
which  they  lived  but  a  short  time  since.  A  very  perceptible 
shade  of  gloom  settled  on  the  countenances  of  all  when  we  as- 
sured them  that  the  Government  could  not  permit  any  more 
"quass"or  beer  drunkenness  among  them.  We  set  forth  the 
propriety  of  this  course  on  the  part  of  the  Secretary  of  the  Treas- 
ury as  justi&ed  by  the  following  reasons: 

1.  They  are  at  present  living  without  the  restraint  of  police- 
men and  prisons,  lines,  &c.,  which  we  em[)loy  for  the  suppression 
of  such  disorder  in  our  own  land,  and  it  was  best  for  them  to  live 
sober  and  avoid  the  necessity  of  having  such  institutions. 

2.  That  they  were,  by  the  great  generosity  of  the  Govern- 
ment and  the  company,  allowed  to  enjoy  the  sole  privilege  of 
participation  in  the  sealing-labor  and  its  good  reward,  by  which 
they  were  enabled  to  live  in  such  comfort  and  ease  ;  that  if  they 
indulged  in  drinking  they  would  drop  out  from  the  skinning- 
gangs,  and  be  unable  in  a  few  years  to  attend  properly-  to  their 
duty  on  the  killing-grounds  f  that  then  the  company  would 
have  the  power  and  would  be  justified  in  procuring  others  to  do 
this  work,  and  that  then  but  a  short  time  would  elapse  before 
the  labor  of  persons  not  addicted  to  drink  would  crowd  them 
and  their  children  out  of  their  comfortable  possession. 

In  the  course  of  our  conversation  with  them  in  regard  to  the 
events  of  early  days  on  the  island,  they  gave  the  following  as 
facts,  relying  on  the  "  vivid  imaginations  and  faithful  memories" 


ALASKA.  119 

with  which  they  are  credited  by  the  mau  who,  of  all  men,  best 
liuew  them,  Veniaminov: 

"  In  1835,  ou  the '  Lagoon '  rookery,  there  were  only  two  bulls  ; 
the  cows  were,  however,  in  number  excessive;  about  as  many 
as  are  on  'Na  Speel'  to-day,  (2,000.)  On  'Zapadnie'  about  one 
thousand  cows,  bulls,  and  pups ;  at  Southwest  Point  there  was 
nothing;  two  small  rookeries  were  on  the  north  shore  of  Saint 
Paul,  near  a  i^lace  called  '  Maroonitch ; '  they  have  been  de- 
serted, however,  by  the  seals  for  a  long  time  ;  the  oldest  man 
ou  the  island,  Zachar  Seedick,  aged  57,  has  never  seen  them 
there  ;  has  only  heard  of  it. 

"  On  Xortheast  Point  there  were  seven  small  rookeries  running 
around  the  point;  only  fifteen  hundred  cows,  pups,  and  bulls, 
all  told ;  this  number  includes  the  '  holluschickie,'  which  in 
those  da^s  lay  in  among  the  breeding-seals,  there  being  so  few 
bulls  that  they  were  permitted  to  do  so.  On  '  Polavina '  there 
were  about  five  hundred  cows,  bulls,  pups,  and  '  holluschickie;' 
on  'Lukannon'  and  '  Ketavie,' about  three  hundred;  only  ten 
bulls  on  'Ketavie,' so  few  young  males  lying  in  all  together  that 
they  took  no  note  of  them  on  these  rookeries;  on  the  'Eeef 
and  'Gorbotch,'  about  one  thousand  only;  of  these  some  eight 
hundred,  'holluschickie'  included,  lying  in  with  the  breeding- 
seals  ;  there  were  about  twenty  old  bulls  only  on  Gorbotch,  and 
but  ten  on  the  Eeef ;  on  'Xau  Speel'  there  were  about  a  hun- 
dred.   The  village  was  here  then  as  now. 

"In  1845  we  took  the  young  males  alone,  respecting  the 
sexes  for  the  first  time  ;  took  only  about  twenty  a  day  on  North- 
east Point ;  on  the  Eeef,  all  the  way  from  one  hundred  and 
fifty  to  two  hundred  a  day. 

"In  1857  the  breeding-rookeries  were  nearly  as  large  as  they 
are  now ;  hut  have  been  rather  gradually  increasing  ever  since. 
Prior  to  1835  the  village  was  up  at  the  little  fresh-water  lake, 
and  the  seals  are  reported,  previous  to  this  date,  many  years, 
to  have  ran  all  over  the  i)resent  village  ground,  very  much  as 
they  do  at  Zapadnie  to-day." 

In  regard  to  the  numbers  of  the  fur-seal  when  the  Russians 
first  took  possession  of  the  ground,  in  1787,  the  present  genera- 
tion, descendants  of  these  pioneers,  have  onl^^  a  general  vague 
impression  that  the  seals  were  somewhat  more  numerous  in  the 
first  days  of  Eussian  occupation  than  they  are  now. 

With  regard  to  the  probable  truth  of  the  foregoing  statement 
of  the  natives  to  us,  I  can  only  call  attention  to  the  fact  that 


120  ALASKA. 

the  entire  sum  of  seal-life,  as  given  by  tbem,  is  4,100  of  all 
classes ;  now,  Bishop  Veniamiuov  publishes  an  authentic  record 
of  the  killing  on  these  islands  from  1817  to  1837,  (the  time  in 
which  he  finished  his  work,)  by  which  it  will  be  seen  that  iu 
this  year  of  1835,  4,052  seals  were  killed  and  taken  ;  and  if  the 
account  of  the  natives  was  true,  that  would  leave  on  the  island 
only  51)  for  183G,  in  which  3'ear,  however,  4,040  were  kiHed,  and 
in  1837  4,220,  and  there  was  a  steady  increase  in  the  killing 
by  the  liussians  up  to  1850,  wheu  they  governed  their  catch 
bv  the  market  alone. 

This  great  diminution  of  the  seal-life,  setting  in  at  1817  and 
running  on  steadily  in  decline  until  1834,  when  it  began  to 
mend,  is  well  accounted  for  by  Veniaminov's  account.  From 
this  it  will  be  seen  that  after  greedy  Russian  companies  on 
these  islands  had  killed  seals  for  over  fifteen  years  iu  unknown 
numbers  without  causing  any  great  change  iu  the  ratio  of  num- 
bers, a  diminution  began  gradually  to  set  iu,  which  became 
obvious  iu  1817,  and  attained  its  maximum  in  1834-'35,  wheu 
hardly  a  tithe  of  the  former  numbers  appeared  on  the  ground ; 
but  from  that  year  change  in  the  management,  &c.,  promoted 
an  increase,  and  they  steadily  augmented  up  to  their  former 
great  numbers,  by  1855-'57  reaching  a  maximum  at  which  they 
have  remained,  as  far  as  my  investigations  throw  light  on  the 
subject ;  a  few  years  more  of  proper  observation  on  the  ground 
here  will  settle  the  matter  to  the  satisfaction  of  all  concerned. 

A  variety  of  reasons  have  been  given  for  this  diminution, 
but  the  case  is  clear  that  as  the  animals  to  be  slaiu  were 
selected  at  random  on  the  breeding-grounds  from  males  and 
females,  they  gradually,  in  consequence  of  this  incessant  mo- 
lestation, began  to  shun  the  islands,  seeking  some  other  land, 
and  there  breeiiing,  in  spite  of  many  natural  difdculties ;  but 
as  soon,  however,  as  the  Russians  began  to  respect  the  priuci- 
l)le  of  never  driving  or  killing  the  females,  the  seals  gradually 
regained  their  confidence,  and  finally  returned  to  these  islands, 
the  most  convenient  and  best  adapted  for  their  occupation  in 
the  northern  hemisphere.  This  was  the  reason  for  their  dis- 
appearance at  that  time,  or  they  were  suffering  from  the  rav- 
ages of  some  unknown  distemper. 


CHAPTER    YII. 

THE  HABITS  OF  TUE  FUR-SEAL,  ETC. 

TnE  Seal-life  ON  the  Prybilov  Islands  may  be  classed 
uuder  four  heads,  as  follows,  viz  : 

The  Fur-Seal,  {CaUorldnus  urslnus,)  Kautickie  of  the  Ilus- 
slans. 

The  Sea-Lion,  {Etimetopias  stellerii,)  See  vitcbie  of  the  Kus- 
sians. 

The  Hair- Seal,  {PhocavituUtia,)'NeaY\ii^a]i  oftheEussiaus. 

The  Walrus,  {Rosmarus  arctieus^)  Morsjee  of  tbe  Kassiaus. 

Of  the  above,  tbe  bai^-seal  is  the  animal  upon  wbich  pop- 
ular and,  indeed,  scientific  opinion  is  founded  as  to  what  a  seal 
appears  like,  and  has  in  this  way  given  to  the  people  a  false 
idea  of  its  relatives,  above  enumerated,  and  has  made  it  exceed- 
ingly difficult  for  the  naturalist  to  correctly  discriminate  be- 
tween them;  for,  although  it  belongs  to  the  same  family,  it 
does  not  even  have  a  generic  affinity  to  those  seals  witli  which 
it  has  been  persistently  confounded,  viz,  the  fur-seal  and  sea- 
lion,  no  more  so  than  has  the  raccoon  to  the  black  or  grizzly 
bear,  both  being*  as  nearly  related  to  each  other. 

A  detailed  description  of  this  seal,  Fhoca  vitulina,  is  quite 
unnecessary,  as  species  of  the  genus  are  common  pets  all  over 
the  world  where  zoological  gardens  are  established,  and  its 
grotesquely  stuffed  skin  is  still  more  frequently  to  be  met  with. 

It  differs,  however,  so  completel}'  in  shape  and  babit  from  its 
congeners  on  these  islands,  that  it  may  be  well,  so  as  to  pre- 
serve a  sharp  line  of  distinction,  to  state  that  it  seldom  comes 
up  from  the  water  more  than  a  few  rods,  at  the  most,  generally 
resting  at  the  margin  of  the  surf-wash;  it  takes  up  no  position 
ou  land  to  bold  and  protect  a  harem,  preferring  the  detached 
water-worn  rocks  which  occasionally  project  out  a  little  above 
the  sea-level  and  are  only  wet  entirely  over  by  heavy  storms ; 
and  the  animal  when  it  is  disturbed  immediately  goes  to  sea. 
Upon  these  small  spots  of  rocky,  wet  isolation  from  the  main 
island,  and  some  secluded  places  on  the  north  shore,  the  "  nearh- 
pah,"  as  tbe  natives  call  it,  brings  forth  its  young,  which  is  a 


122  ALASKA. 

single  pup,  perfectly  wLite,  weighing  about  tliree  or  four  pounds. 
This  pup  grows  rapidly,  and  weighs,  in  three  to  tour  months, 
forty  or  fifty  pounds,  and  at  that  time  has  a  coat  of  soft,  steel- 
gray  hair  on  the  head,  limbs,  and  abdomen,  with  the  back  most 
richly  mottled  and  barred  lengthwise  with  dark-browu  and 
brown-black.  When  they  appear  in  the  spring,  following,  this 
gray  tone  to  their  color  has  become  a  dingy  ocher,  and  the  mot- 
tling appears  well  over  the  head  and  on  the  upper  side  or  back 
of  the  flippers,  or  feet,  correspondingly  dim. 

There  is  no  appreciable  difference  as  to  color  or  size  betweea 
the  sexes. 

They  are  not  polygamous,  as  far  as  I  have  observed. 

They  are  exceedingly  timid  and  wary  at  all  times,  and  in  this 
way  they  are  diametrically  opposed,  not  by  shape  alone,  but  by 
habit  and  disposition,  to  the  fur-seal  and  sea-lion. 

Their  skin  is  of  little  value  compared  with  that  of  the  fur- 
seal,  and  their  chief  merit  is  the  relative  greater  juiciness  and 
sweetness  of  their  flesh  to  those  who  are  in  any  way  partial  to 
seal-meat. 

I  desire  also  to  correct  a  common  error,  made  in  comparing 
PJiocidcc  with  Otaridce,  where  it  is  stated  that,  in  consequence 
of  the  peculiar  structure  of  their  limbs,  their  progression  on 
land  is  '■'-mainli)  acconqyllshcd  bj'  a  wriggling,  serpentine  motion 
of  the  body,  slightly  assisted  by  the  extremities."  This  is  not 
so;  for,  when  excited  to  run  or  exert  themselves  to  reach  the 
water  suddenly,  they  strike  out  quickly  with  both  fore  feet, 
simultaneously  lift  and  drag  the  whole  body,  without  any  wrig- 
gling whatever,  from  G  inches  to  a  foot  ahead  and  slightly  from 
the  earth,  according  to  the  violence  of  the  eftbrt  and  the  char- 
acter of  the  ground;  the  body  then  falls  flat,  and  the  fore-flip- 
pers are  free  for  another  similar  action,  and  this  is  done  so 
earnestly  and  rapidly  that  in  attempting  to  head  off  a  young 
nearhpah  from  the  water  I  was  obliged  to  leave  a  brisk  walk 
and  take  to  a  dog-trot  to  do  it.  The  hind  feet  are  not  used 
when  exerted  in  rapid  movement  at  all,  and  are  dragged  along 
in  the  wake  of  the  body,  perfectly  limp.  They  do  use  their 
posterior  parts,  however,  when  leisurely  climbing  up  and  over 
rocks,  or  playing  one  with  another,  but  it  is  always  a  Aveak 
eflbrt,  and  clumsy.  These  remarks  of  mine,  it  should  be  borne 
in  mind,  apply  only  to  the  Phoca  ritidina,  that  is  found  arouud 
these  islands  at  all  seasons  of  the  year,  but  in  very  small  num- 
bers.   I  have  never  seen  more  than  twenty  live  or  thirty  at  any 


ALASKA.  123 

one  time,  but  I  think  its  principle  of  locomotion  will  be  found 
to  apply  on  land  to  all  the  rest  of  its  genera. 

The  scarcity  of  this  species  and  of  all  its  generic  allies  is 
notable  in  the  waters  of  the  Xorth  Pacific  as  compared  with 
those  of  the  circnmpnlnr  Atlantic,  where  the  hair-seals  are 
found  in  immense  numbers,  giving  employment  every  year  to  a 
fleet  of  sailing  and  steam  vessels  which  go  forth  from  St.  John's, 
Halifax,  and  elsewhere,  fitted  for  seal-fishing,  taking  over 
three  hundred  thousand  of  these  animals  each  season,  the 
I)rincipal  object  being  the  oil  rendered  from  them,  the  skins 
having  but  small  commercial  value.* 


•» 


THE  FUR-SEAL,   (OALLORHINUS  URSTNUS,) 

Whichrepairs  totheseislands  tobreed,  &c.,in  numbersthatseem 
almost  fabulous,  is  by  far  the  highest  organized  of  all  the  Pinni- 
pedia,  and,  indeed,  for  that  matter,  when  land  and  water  are  fully 
taken  into  account,  tliere  is  no  other  animal  superior  to  it  from 
a  purely  physical  point  of  view  ;  and  few  creatures  that  can  be 
said  to  exhibit  a  higher  order  of  instinct,  approaching  even 
intelligence,  belonging  to  the  animal  kingdom. 

Kegarding  a  male  six  to  seven  years  old,  and  full  grown, 
when  he  comes  up  from  the  sea  in  the  spring  on  to  his  station 
for  the  breeding-season,  we  have  an  animal  that  will  measure 
6J  to  7^  feet  in  length,  from  tip  of  nose  to  end  of  tail,  and 
weighing  at  least  400  pounds,  and  sometimes  as  much,  perhaps, 
as  GOO.  (?)  The  head,  which  in  comparison  with  the  immense 
thick  neck  and  shoulders,  seems  to  be  disproportionately  small ; 
but  as  we  come  to  examine  it  we  will  tiud  that  it  is  mostly  all 
occupied  by  the  brain ;  the  light  frame-work  of  the  skull  sup- 
ports an  expressive  pair  of  large  bluish-hazel  eyes,  and  a  muz- 
zle and  jaws  of  nearly  the  same  size  and  form  observed  in  any 
fall-blooded  Newfoundland  dog,  with  the  difference  of  having 
no  flabby,  hanging  lips ;  the  upper  lips  support  a  white  and 
yellowish-gray  mustache,  long,  and,  when  not  torn  in  combat, 
luxuriant,  composed  of  heavy  stiff  bristles. 

Observe  it  as  it  comes  leisurely  swimming  on  toward  the 
land ;  how  high  above  the  water  it  carries  its  head,  and  how 
deliberately  it  surveys  the  beach,  after  having  stepped  up  on  it ; 

*  Au  excelleut  and,  I  have  every  reason  to  believe,  correct  descrip- 
tion of  this  seal-fishery  in  the  North  Atlantic  has  been  published  by  Michael 
Carroll,  who  writes  in  a  manner  indicative  of  great  familiarity  with  the 
business. 


124  ALASKA. 

it  may  be  truly  said  to  step  with  its  fore  fli pikers,  for  they  regu- 
larly alternate  as  it  uioves  up,  carrying-  the  head  well  above 
them,  at  least  three  feet  from  the  ground,  with  a  perfectly  erect 
neck. 

The  fore  feet,  or  hands,  are  a  pair  of  dark  bluish-black  flip- 
pers, about  8  or  10  inches  broad  at  their  junction  with  the 
body,  running  out  to  an  ovate  point  some  15  to  18  inches  from 
this  union,  which  is  at  the  carpal  joint,  corresponding  to  our 
wrist;  all  the  rest  of  the  fore-arm,  the  uhia,  radius,  and 
humerus,  being  concealed  under  the  skin  and  thick  blabber 
foUls  of  the  umin  body  and  neck,  concealed  entirely  at  this 
season  when  it  is  so  fat ;  but  later,  when  flesh  or  fat  has  been 
consumed  by  absorption,  they  come  quite  plainly  into  view. 

On  the  upper  side  of  these  flippers,  the  hair  straggles  down 
finer  and  fainter,  as  it  comes  down  to  a  point  close  to  and 
slightly  beyond  where  the  phalanges  and  the  metacarpal  bones 
are  jointed,  simihir  to  the  spot  where  our  knuckles  are  placed, 
and  there  ends,  leaving  the  skin  bare  and  wrinkled  in  places  at 
the  margin  of  the  inner  side,  showing  five  small  pits  containing 
abortive  nails,  which  are  situated  immediately  over  the  union 
of  the  phalanges  with  their  cartilaginous  continuations  to  the 
end  of  the  flipper. 

On  the  under  side  of  the  flipper  the  skin  is  entirely  bare  from 
the  end  up  to  the  body  connection,  dee|)ly  and  regularly  wrin- 
kled with  seams  and  furrows,  which  cross  one  another,  so  as  to 
leave  a  kind  of  sharp  diamond-pattern. 

But  we  observe  as  the  seal  moves  along  that,  though  it  han- 
dles its  fore  limbs  in  a  most  creditable  manner,  it  brings  up  its 
rear  in  quite  a  different  style  ;  for  after  every  second  step  ahead 
with  the  fore  feet  It  arches  its  spine,  and  with  it  drags  and  lifts 
together  the  hinder  limbs  to  a  fit  position  under  its  body  for 
another  movement  forward,  by  which  the  si)ine  is  again  straight- 
ened out  so  as  to  take  a  fresh  hitch  up  on  the  posteriors.  This 
is  the  leisurely  and  natural  movement  on  land  when  not  dis- 
turbed, the  body  being  carried  clear  of  the  ground. 

The  radical  difference  in  the  form  and  action  of  the  hinder 
feet  cannot  fail  to  strike  the  eye  at  once.  They  are  one-seventh 
longer  and  very  much  lighter  and  more  slender;  they,  too,  are 
merged  in  the  body  like  those  anterior;  nothing  can  be  seen  of 
the  leg  above  the  tarsal  joint. 

The  shape  of  this  hind  flipper  is  strikingly  like  a  human  foot, 
provided  the  latter  were  drawn  out  to  a  length  of  20  or  22 


ALASKA.  125 

iuclies,  the  instep  flattened  down  and  the  toes  run  out  into 
thin,  membraneous,  oval-tipped  points,  only  skin-thick,  leav- 
ing- three  strong  cylindrical  grayish  horn-colored  nails,  hall'  an 
inch  long,  back  six  inches  from  these  skinny  toe-ends,  without 
any  nails  to  mention  on  the  big  and  little  toes. 

On  the  upper  side  of  this  loot  the  hair  comes  down  to  the 
point  where  the  metatarsus  and  phalangeal  bones  joint  and 
fades  out;  from  this  junction  the  phalanges,  about  six  inches 
down  to  the  nails,  are  entirely  bare  and  stand  ribbed  up  in  bold 
relief  on  the  membrane  which  unites  them  as  a  web  ;  the  nails 
nuirk  the  ends  of  the  phalangeal  bones  aud  their  union  in  turn 
Avith  the  cartiliiginous  processes,  which  run  rapidly  tapering 
and  flattening,  out  to  the  ends  of  the  thin  toe-flaps. 

Now,  as  we  look  at  this  fur-seal's  progression,  that  which 
seems  most  odd  is  the  gingerly  manner  (if  I  may  be  allowed 
to  use  the  expression)  in  which  it  carries  these  hmd-flipi)ers; 
they  are  held  out  at  right  angles  from  the  body  directly  oppo- 
site the  pelvis,  the  toe-ends  and  flaps  slightly  waving  and  curl- 
ing or  drooping  over,  supported  daintily,  as  it  were,  above  the 
earth,  only  suffering  its  weight  behind  to  fall  upon  the  heels, 
which  are  opposed  to  each  oth^er  scarcely  five  inches  apart. 

We  shall,  as  we  see  him  again  later  in  the  season,  have  to 
notice  a  different  mode  of  progression,  both  when  lording  it 
over  his  harem  or  when  he  grows  shy  and  restless  at  the  end 
of  the  breeding-season,  and  now  proceed  to  notice  him  in  the 
order  of  his  arrival  aud  that  of  his  family,  his  behavior  during 
the  long  period  of  fasting  and  unceasing  activity  and  vigilance 
and  other  cares  which  devolve  upon  him,  as  the  most  eminent 
of  all  polygamists  in  the  brute  world;  and  to  fully  comprehend 
this  exceedingly  interesting  animal,  it  will  be  necessary  to  refer 
to  my  drawings  and  paintings  uuide  from  it  and  its  haunts. 

The  adult  males  are  first  to  arrive  in  the  spring  on  the  ground 
deserted  by  all  classes  the  preceding  year. 

Between  the  1st  and  5th  of  May,  usually,  a  few  bulls  will  be 
found  scattered  over  the  rookeries  pretty  close  to  the  water. 
They  are  at  this  time  quite  shy  and  sensitive,  not  yet  being 
satisfied  with  the  land,  and  a  great  many  spend  day  after  day 
before  coming  ashore  idly  swimming  out  among  the  breakers  a 
little  distance  from  the  laud,  to  which  they  seem  somewhat  re- 
luctant at  first  to  repair.  The  first  arrivals  are  not  always  the 
oldest  bulls,  but  may  be  said  to  be  the  finest  and  most  ambi- 
tious of  their  class;  they  are  full-grown  aud  able  to  hold  their 


126  ALASKA. 

Stations  ou  tbe  rocks,  wbicli  tbej^  immediately  take  up  after 
comiug  ashore. 

I  am  not  able  to  say  authoritatively  that  these  animals  come 
back  and  take  up  the  same  position  ou  tbe  breeding-grounds 
occupied  by  tliem  during  the  preceding  season;  from  mj' 
knowledge  of  their  action  and  habit,  and  from  what  I  have 
learned  of  the  natives,  I  should  say  that  very  few,  if  any  of 
them,  make  such  a  selection  and  keep  these  places  year  after 
year.  One  old  bull  was  pointed  out  to  me  on  the  Kecf  Gar- 
butch  Eookery  as  being  known  to  the  natives  as  a  regular  vis- 
itor at,  close  by,  or  on  the  same  rock  every  season  during  the 
past  three  years,  but  he  failed  to  re-appear  ou  the  fourth  ;  but 
if  these  animals  came  each  to  a  certain  i:»lace  and  occupied  it 
regularly,  season  after  season,  I  think  the  natives  here  would 
know  it  definitely  ;  as  it  is,  they  do  not.  1  think  it  very  likely, 
however,  that  the  older  bulls  come  back  to  the  same  rookery- 
ground  where  they  spent  the  previous  season,  but  take  up  their 
l)o.sitions  on  it  just  as  the  circumstances  attending  their  arrival 
will  permit,  such  as  fighting  other  seals  which  have  arrived  be- 
fore them,  &c. 

With  the  object  of  testing  this  matter,  the  Russians,  during 
the  early  part  of  their  possession,  cutoff  the  ears  from  a  given 
number  of  young  male  seals  driven  up  for  that  purpose  from 
one  of  the  rookeries,  and  the  result  was  that  cropped  seals  were 
found  on  nearly  all  the  different  rookeries  or  "  hauling-grounds" 
on  the  islands  after.  The  same  experiment  was  made  by  agents 
two  years  ago,  who  had  the  left  ears  taken  off  from  a  hundred 
young  males  which  were  found  on  Lukannon  Eookery,  Saint 
Paul's  Island  ;  of  these  the  natives  last  year  found  two  on  No- 
vashtosh-nah  Rookery,  ten  miles  north  of  Lukannon,  and  two 
or  three  from  English  Day  and  Tolstoi  Rookery,  six  miles  west 
by  water;  one  or  two  were  taken  on  Saint  George's  Island,  thir- 
ty-six miles  to  the  southeast,  and  not  one  from  Lukannon  was 
found  among  those  that  were  driven  from  there;  and,  proba- 
bly, had  all  the  young  males  on  the  two  ishinds  been  driven  up 
and  examined,  the  rest  would  have  been  Ibund  distributed  quite 
equally  all  around,  although  the  natives  say  that  they  think 
the  cutting  off  of  the  animal's  ear  gives  the  water  such  access 
to  its  head  as  to  cause  its  death;  this,  however,  I  think  re- 
quires confirmation.  These  experiments  would  tend  to  prove 
that  when  the  seals  approach  the  islands  in  the  spring,  they 
have  nothing  but  a  general  instinctive  appreciation  of  the  fit- 


ALASKA.  127 

ness  of  the  land  as  a  icJioIc,  and  no  especial  fondness  for  any 
particular  spot. 

The  landing  of  the  seals  upon  tlie  respective  rookeries  is  in- 
fluenced greatly  by  the  direction  of  the  wind  at  the  time  of 
approach  to  the  islands.  The  prevailing  winds,  coming  from 
the  northeast,  north,  and  northwest,  carry  far  out  to  sea  the 
odor  or  scent  of  the  pioneer  bulls,  which  have  located  them- 
selves on  different  breeding-grounds  three  or  four  weeks  usually 
in  advance  of  the  masses ;  and  hence  it  will  be  seen  that  the 
rookeries  on  the  south  and  southeastern  shores  of  Saint  Paul's 
Island  receive  nearly  all  the  seal-life,  although  there  are  miles 
of  eligible  ground  on  the  north  shore. 

To  settle  this  question,  however,  is  an  exceedingly  diflScult 
matter  ;  for  the  identification  of  individuals,  from  one  season  to 
another,  among  the  hundreds  of  thousands,  and  even  millions, 
that  come  under  the  eye  on  a  single  one  of  these  great  rook- 
eries, is  really  impossible. 

From  the  time  of  the  first  arrivals  in  May  up  to  the  1st  of 
June,  or  as  late  as  the  middle  of  this  month,  if  the  weather  be 
clear,  is  an  interval  in  which  everything  seems  quiet ;  very  few 
seals  are  added  to  the  pioneers.  By  the  1st  of  June,  however, 
or  thereabouts,  the  foggy,  humid  weather  of  summer  sets  in, 
and  with  it  the  bull-seals  come  up  by  hundreds  and  thousands, 
and  locate  themselves  in  advantageous  positions  for  the  recep- 
tion of  the  females,  which  are  generally  three  weeks  or  a  month 
later,  as  a  rule. 

The  labor  of  locating  and  maintaining  a  position  iu  the  rook- 
ery is  really  a  serious  business  for  those  bulls  which  come  in 
last,  and  for  those  that  occupy  the  water-line,  frequently  result- 
ing in  death  from  severe  wounds  iu  combat  sustained. 

It  appears  to  be  a  well-understood  principle  a,mong  the  able- 
bodied  bulls  that  each  oue  shall  remain  undisturl)ed  on  his 
ground,  which  is  usually  about  ten  feet  square,  provided  he  is 
strong  enough  to  hold  it  against  all  comers ;  for  the  crowding 
in  of  fresh  bulls  often  causes  the  removal  of  many  of  those 
who,  though  equally  able-bodied  at  first,  have  exhausted  them- 
selves by  fighting  earlier,  and  are  driven  by  the  fresher  animals 
bade  farther  and  higher  up  on  the  rookery. 

Some  of  these  bulls  show  wonderful  strength  and  courage. 
I  have  marked  oue  veteran,  who  was  among  thefirstto  take  up 
his  position,  and  that  one  ou  the  water  line,  where  at  least  fifty 
or  sixty  desperate  battles  were  fought  victoriously  by   him. 


128  ALASKA. 

with  nearl}'  as  many  difi'erent  seals,  A\iio  coveted  bis  position, 
and  when  the  fij^htiiiii-season  was  over,  (alter  the  cows  have 
mostly  all  hauled  up,)  I  saw  him,  covered  with  scars  and  j;ashes 
raw  and  bloody,  an  eye  gouged  out,  but  lording  it  bravely  over 
his  harem  of  tifteen  or  twenty  cows,  all  huddled  together  on 
the  same  spot  he  had  first  chosen. 

The  fighting  is  mostly  or  entirely  done  with  the  mouth,  the 
opponents  seizing  each  other  with  the  teeth  and  cleuching 
the  jaws;  nothing  but  sheer  strength  can  shake  them  loose, 
and  that  effort  almost  always  leaves  an  ugly  wound,  the  sharp 
canines  tearing  out  deep  gutters  in  the  skin  and  blubber  or 
shredding  the  tiippers  into  ribbon-strips. 

They  usually  approach  each  other  with  averted  heads  and  a 
great  many  false  passes  before  either  one  or  the  other  takes  the 
initiative  by  griping;  the  heads  are  darted  out  and  back  as  quick 
as  flash,  their  hoarse  roaring  and  shrill,  piping  whistle  never 
ceases,  while  their  fat  bodies  writhe  and  swell  with  exertion  and 
rage,  fur  flying  in  air  and  blood  streaming  down — all  combined 
make  a  picture  fierce  and  savage  enough,  and,  from  its  great 
novelty,  exceedingly  strange  at  first  sight. 

In  these  battles  the  parties  are  always  distinct,  the  offensive 
and  the  defensive ;  if  the  latter  proves  the  weaker  he  with- 
draws from  the  position  occupied,  and  is  never  followed  by  his 
conqueror,  who  complacently  throws  up  oneof  his  hind  flippers, 
fans  himself  as  it  were,  to  cool  himself  from  the  heat  of  the 
conflict,  utters  a  peculiar  chuckle  of  satisfaction  or  couteuipt, 
with  a  sharp  eye  open  for  the  next  covetous  bull  or  ''  see- 
catch."* 

The  period  occupied  by  the  males  in  taking  and  holding  their 
positions  on  the  rookery  offers  a  favorable  opportunity  in 
which  to  study  them  in  the  thousand  and  one  different  attitudes 
and  postures  assumed  between  the  two  extremes  of  desperate 
conflict  and  deep  sleep — sleep  so  sound  that  one  can,  by  keep- 
ing to  the  leeward,  approach  close  enough,  stepping  softly,  to 
pull  the  whiskers  of  any  one  taking  a  nap  on  a  clear  place  ;  but 
after  the  first  touch  to  these  whiskers  the  trifler  must  jump 
back  with  great  celerity,  if  he  h^s  any  regard  for  the  sharp 
teeth  and  tremendous  shaking  which  will  surely  overtake  him 
if  he  does  not. 

The  neck,  chest,  and  shoulders  of  a  fur-seal  bull  comprise 

*  "See-carcb,"  uative  name  for  the  bulls  oa  the  rookeries,  especially  those 
which  arc  able  to  maiutaiu  their  position. 


ALASKA.  129 

more  than  two-thirds  of  his  wliole  weight,  and  in  tliis  long 
thick  neck  and  lore  limbs  is  embodied  the  larger  portion  of  his 
strength  ;  when  on  land,  with  the  fore  feet  he  does  all  climbing 
over  rocks,  over  the  grass3-  hnintnocks  back  of  the  rookery,  the 
hind  flippers  being  gathered  ui)  after  every  second  step  forward, 
as  described  in  the  manner  of  walking;  these  fore  feet  are  the 
propelling  power  when  in  water,  almost  exclusively,  the  hinder 
ones  being  used  as  rudders  chiefly. 

The  covering  to  the  body  is  composed  of  two  coats,  one  being 
of  short,  crisp,  glistening  over-hair,  and  the  other  a  close,  soft, 
elastic  pelage,  or  fur,  which  gives  distinctive  value  to  the  pelt. 

At  this  season  of  first  "  hauling  up"  in  the  spring,  the  pre- 
vailing color  of  the  bulls,  after  they  dry  oft"  and  have  been  ex- 
posed to  the  weather,  is  a  dark,  dull  brown,  with  a  sprinkling 
of  lighter  brown-black,  and  a  number  of  hoary  or  frosted-gray 
coats  ;  on  the  shoulders  the  over-hair  is  either  a  gray  or  rufous- 
ocher,  called  the  '•  wig  ;  "  these  colors  are  most  intense  upon 
the  back  of  the  head,  neck,  and  spine,  being  lighter  underneath. 
The  skin  of  the  muzzle  and  flippers,  a  dark  bluish  black,  fading 
to  a  reddish  and  purplish  tint  in  some.  The  ears  and  tail  are 
also  similar  in  tint  to  the  body,  being  in  the  case  of  the  former 
a  trifle  lighter;  the  ears  on  a  bull  fur-seal  are  from  an  inch  to 
an  inch  and  a  half  in  length  ;  the  imvUions  tightly  rolled  up  on 
themselves  so  that  they  are  similar  in  shape  and  size  to  the  lit- 
tle finger  on  the  human  hand,  cut  off  at  the  second  (phalangeal) 
joint,  a  shade  more  cone-shaped,  for  they  are  greater  in  diame- 
ter at  the  base  than  at  the  til). 

I  think  it  probable  that  the  animal  has  and  exerts  the  power 
of  compressing  or  dilating  this  scroll-like  pavilion  to  its  ear, 
accordingly  as  it  dives  deep  or  rises  in  the  water;  and  jUso,  I 
amquilesure  that  the  hair-seal  has  this  control  over  the  meatus 
extcrnus,  from  what  I  have  seen  of  it :  but  I  have  not  been  able 
to  verify  it  in  either  case  by  observation  ;  but  such  opportunity 
as  I  have  had,  gives  me  undoubted  proof  of  the  greatest  keen- 
ness in  hearing  ;  for  it  is  impossible  to  ap])roach  one,  even  when 
sound  asleep  ;  if  you  make  any  noise,  frequently  no  matter  how 
slight,  the  alarm  will  be  given  instantly  by  the  insignificant- 
looking  auditors,  and  the  animal,  rising  up  with  a  single  motion 
erect,  gives  you  a  stare  of  astonishment,  and  at  this  season  of 
defiance,  together  with  incessent  surly  roaring,  growling,  and 
"  spitting." 

This  spitting,  as  I  call  it,  is  by  no  means  a  fair  or  full  expres- 

9  AL 


130  ALASKA. 

sion  of  tlie  most  cliaracteristic  sound  and  action,  peculiar,  so  far 
as  I  liave  observed,  to  the  I'ur-seals,  the  bulls  in  particular.  It 
is  the  usual  prelude  to  their  couibats,  and  follows  souiewliat  in 
this  way:  when  the  two  disputants  are  nearly  within  reaching 
or  striking"  distance,  they  make  a  number  of  feints  or  false 
passes  at  one  another,  with  the  mouth  wide  open  and  lifting 
the  lips  or  snarling,  so  as  to  exhibit  the  glistening  teeth,  and 
with  each  pass  they  expel  the  air  so  violently  through  the 
larynx  as  to  make  a  rapid  choo-choo-choo  sound,  like  the  steam- 
puffs  in  the  smoke-stack  of  a  locomotive  when  it  starts  a  heavy 
train,  and  especially  when  the  driving-wheels  slip  on  the  rail. 

All  the  bulls  now  have  the  power  and  frequent  inclination  to 
utter  four  entirely  distinct  calls  or  notes — a  hoarse,  resonant 
roar,  loud  and  long;  alow  gurgling  growl;  a  chuckling,  sibi- 
lant, piping  whistle,  of  which  it  is  impossible  to  convey  an  ad- 
equate idea,  for  it  must  be  heard  to  be  understood;  and  this 
spitting,  just  described.  The  cows*  have  but  one  uote — a  hol- 
low, iirolonged,  hlaa-ting  call,  addressed  only  to  their  pui)s; 
on  all  other  occasions  they  are  usually  silent.  It  is  something 
like  the  cry  of  a  calf  or  sheep.  They  also  make  a  spitting- 
sound,  and  snort,  when  suddenly  disturbed.  The  pups  '■'■bla-af^ 
also,  with  little  or  no  variation,  the  sound  being  somewhat 
weaker  and  hoarser  than  that  of  their  mothers  for  the  first  two 
or  three  weeks  after  birth ;  they,  too,  spit  and  cough  when 
aroused  suddenly  from  a  nap  or  driven  into  a  corner.  A.  num- 
ber of  pups  crying  at  a  short  distance  off  bring  to  mind  very 
strongly  the  idea  of  a  flock  of  sheep  ''  baaaa-in(}." 

Indeed,  so  similar  is  the  sound  that  a  number  of  sheep 
brought  up  from  San  Francisco  to  Saint  George's  Island  during 
the  summer  of  1873  were  constantly  attracted  to  the  rookeries, 

*Without  explanation  1  may  be  considered  as  lualiin^  use  of  misapplied 
terms  iu  describiu<i;  these  animals,  for  the  inconsistency  of  couplin<r  "pups" 
with  "  cows"  and  "  bulls,"  and  "  rookeries"  with  the  breediug-gronnds  of  the 
same,  cannot  fail  to  be  noticed  ;  but  this  nomenclatui-e  has  been  given  and 
used  by  the  Eaglisb  and  American  whalemen  and  sealing-parties  for  many 
years,  and  the  cliaracteristic  features  of  the  seals  suit  the  odd  naming  ex- 
actly, so  much  so  that  I  have  felt  satisfied  to  retaiu  the  style  throughout  as 
rendering  my  description  more  intelligible,  especially  so  to  those  who  are  en- 
gaged in  the  business  or  may  be  hereafter.  The  Russians  are  more  ccns-ist- 
ent,  but  not  so  "pat."  The  bull  is  called  "see-catch,"  a  term  implying 
strength,  vigor,  «fcc.;  the  cow,  "  niatkah,"  or  mother  ;  the  pups,  '"kotickie," 
or  little  seals;  the  non-breeding  males,  under  six  and  seven  years,  "  hollus- 
chickie,"  or  bachelors.  The  name  applied  collectively  to  the  fur-seal  by 
them  is  "  morskic-kot,"  or  sea-cat. 


ALASKA.  131 

running  in  among  tlie  seals,  and  had  to  be  driven  away  to  a 
good  feeding-ground  by  a  small  boy  detailed  for  the  puri)ose. 

The  sound  arising  from  these  great  breeding-grounds  of  the 
fur-seal,  where  thousands  upon  thousands  of  angry,  vigilant 
bulls  are  roaring,  chuekling,  piping,  and  nudtitudes  of  seal- 
mothers  are  calling  in  hollow,  bla  ating  tones  to  their  young, 
which  in  turn  respond  incessantly,  is  simply  indescribable.  It 
is,  at  a  sbght  distance,  softened  into  a  deep  booming,  as  of  a 
cataract,  and  can  be  heard  a  long  distance  off  at  sea,  under 
favorable  circumstances  as  far  as  five  or  six  miles,  and  fre- 
quently warns  vessels  that  may  be  approaching  the  islands  in 
thick,  foggy  weather,  of  the  positive,  though  unseen,  proximity 
of  laud.  iSlght  and  day,  throughout  the  seasou,  the  din  of  the 
rookeries  is  cteady  and  constant. 

The  seals  seem  to  sufi'er  great  inconvenience  from  a  compar- 
atively low  degree  of  heat;  for,  with  a  temperature  of  40°  and 
48°  on  land,  during  the  summer,  they  show  signs  of  distress  from 
heat  whenever  they  make  any  exertion,  i^ant,  raise  their  hind 
flippers,  and  use  them  incessantly  as  fans.  With  the  thermom- 
eter at  5i>°-C0o,  they  seem  to  suffer  even  when  at  rest,  and  at 
sucli  times  the  eye  is  struck  by  the  kaleidoscopic  appearance 
of  a  rookery,  on  which  a  million  seals  are  spread  out  in  every 
imaginable  position  their  bodies  can  assume,  all  industriously 
fanning  themselves,  using  sometimes  the  fore  flippers  as  ven- 
tilators, as  it  were,  by  holding  them  aloft  motionless,  at  the 
same  moment  fanning  briskly  with  the  hind  flipper,  or  flippers, 
according  as  they  sit  or  lie.  This  wavy  motion  of  flapping  and 
fanning  gives  a  peculiar  shade  of,  hazy  indistinctness  to  the 
whole  scene,  which  is  difficult  to  express  in  language;  but  one 
of  the  most  prominent  characteristics  of  the  fur-seal  is  this  fan- 
ning manner  in  which  thej"  use  their  flippers,  when  seen  on  the 
breeding-grounds  in  season.  They  also,  when  idling,  as  it 
were,  offshore  at  sea,  lie  on  their  sides,  with  only  a  partial  ex- 
posure of  the  body,  the  head  submerged,  and  hoist  up  a  fore  or 
hind  flipper  clear  of  the  water,  while  scratching  themselves  or 
enjoying  a  nap;  but  in  this  position  there  is  no  fanning.  I  say 
"scratching,"  because  the  seal,  in  common  with  all  animals,  is 
preyed  upon  by  vermin,  a  species  of  louse  and  a  tick,  peculiar 
to  itself. 

All  the  bulls,  from  the  very  first,  that  have  been  able  to  hold 
their  positions,  have  not  left  them  for  an  instant,  night  or  day, 
nor  do  they  do  so  until  the  end  of  the  rutting-season,  which 


132  ALASKA. 

subsides  entirely  between  the  1st  and  10th  of  Angust,  begin- 
ning shortly  after  the  coming  of  the  cows  in  June.  Of  necessity, 
therefore,  this  causes  them  to  iast,  to  abstain  entirely  froui  food 
of  any  kind,  or  water,  for  three  mouths,  at  least,  and  a  few  of 
them  stay  four  months  before  going  into  the  water  for  the  first 
time  after  hauling  up  in  May. 

This  alone  is  remarkable  enough,  but  it  is  simply  wonderful 
when  we  come  to  associate  the  condition  with  the  unceasing 
activity,  restlessness,  and  duty  devolved  upon  the  bulls  as 
heads  and  fathers  of  large  families.  They  do  not  stagnate,  like 
bears  in  caves;  it  is  evidently  accomplished  or  due  to  the  ab- 
sorption of  their  own  fat,  with  which  they  are  so  liberally  sup- 
plied when  they  take  their  positions  on  the  breeding-ground, 
and  which  gradually  diminishes  while  they  remain  on  it.  But 
still  some  most  remarkable  ])rovision  must  be  made  for  the  en- 
tire torpidity  of  the  stomach  and  bowels,  consequent  upon  their 
being  empty  and  unsupplied  during  this  long  i)eriod,  which, 
however,  in  spite  of  the  violation  of  a  supposed  physiological 
law,  does  not  seem  to  affect  them,  for  they  come  back  just  as 
sleek,  fat,  and  ambitious  as  ever  in  the  following  season. 

I  have  examined  the  stomachs  of  a  number  which  were  driven 
up  and  killed  immediately  after  their  arrival  in  the  spring,  and 
natives  here  have  seen  hundreds,  even  thousands,  of  them 
during  the  killing-season  in  June  and  July,  but  in  no  case  has 
anything  been  found  other  thai^  the  bile  and  ordinary  secre- 
tions of  healthy  organs  of  this  class,  with  the  exception  only  of 
finding  in  every  one  a  snarl  or  cluster  of  worms,*  from  the  size  of 
a  walnut  to  that  of  one's  fist,  the  fast  apparently  having  no  effect 
on  them,  for  when  thret;  or  four  hundred  old  bulls  were  slaugh- 
tered late  in  the  fall,  to  supply  the  natives  with  "bidarkee"  or 
canoe  skins,  I  found  these  worms  in  a  lively  condition  in  every 
X)auuch  cut  open,  and  their  presence,  I -think,  gives  some  reason 
for  the  habit  which  these  old  bulls  have  of  swallowing  small 
bowlders,  the  stones  in  some  of  the  stomachs  weighing  half  a 
l^ound  or  so,  and  in  one  paunch  1  found  about  five  pounds  in 
the  aggregate  of  larger  pebbles,  which  in  grinding  against  one 
another  must  destroy,  in  a  great  measure,  these  intestinal  i)ests. 
The  sea-lion  is  also  troubled  in  the  same  way  by  a  similar 
species  of  worm,  and  I  have  preserved  a  stomach  of  one  of  these 
animals  in  which  are  more  than  ten  pounds  of  bowlders,  some  of 
them  alone  quite  large.     The  greater  size  of  this  animal  enables 

*Nematoda. 


ALASKA.  133 

it  to  swallow  stones  wbicli  weigh  two  and  three  pounds.  I  can 
ascribe  no  otber  cause  for  this  habit  among  these  animals  than 
that  given,  as  thej'^  are  of  the  highest  tj'pe  of  the  caruivora, 
eating  fish  as  a  regular  means  of  subsistence;  varying  the  mo- 
notony of  this  diet  with  occasional  juicy  fronds  of  sea-weed,  or 
kelp,  and  perhaps  a  crab,  or  such,  once  iu  a  while,  provided  it 
is  small  and  tender,  or  soft-shelled. 

Between  the  12th  and  14th  of  June  the  first  of  the  cow-seals 
come  up  from  the  sea,  and  the  bulls  signalize  it  by  a  universal, 
spasmodic,  desperate  fighting  among  themselves. 

The  strong  contrast  between  the  males  and  fenniles  in  size 
and  shape  is  heightened  by  the  air  of  exceeding  peace  and 
amiability  which  the  latter  class  exhibit. 

The  cows  are  from  4  to  4^  feet  in  length  from  head  to  tail, 
and  much  more  shapelj^  in  their  proportions  than  the  bulls,  the 
neck  and  shoulders  being  not  near  so  fat  and  heavy  in  propor- 
tion to  the  posteriors. 

When  they  come  up,  wet  and  dripping,  they  are  of  a  dull, 
dirty-gray  color,  darker  on  the  back  and  upper  parts,  but  in  ii 
few  hours  the  transformation  made  by  drying  is  wonderful ; 
you  would  hardly  believe  they  could  be  the  same  animals,  for 
they  now  fairly  glisten  with  a  rich  steel  and  maltese-gray  luster 
on  the  back  of  the  head,  neck,  and  spine,  which  blends  into  an 
almost  pure  white  on  the  chest  and  abdomen.  But  this  beauti- 
ful coloring  in  turn  is  altered  by  exi)osure  to  the  weather,  for 
iu  two  or  three  days  it  will  gradually  change  to  a  dull,  rufous 
ocher  below,  and  a  cinereous-brown  and  gra3'-iuixed  above  ;  this 
color  they  retain  throughout  the  breeding-season  up  to  the  time 
of  shedding  the  coat  in  August. 

The  head  and  eye  of  the  female  are  really  attractive;  the  ex- 
pression is  exceedingly  gentle  and  intelligent;  the  large,  lus- 
trous eyes,  in  the  small,  well-formed  head,  apparently  gleam 
with  benignity  and  satisfaction  when  she  is  perched  up  on  some 
convenient  rock  and  has  an  opportunity  to  quietly  fan  herself. 
The  cows  appear  to  be  driven  on  to  the  rookeries  bj'  an  accu- 
rate instinctive  appreciation  of  the  time  in  which  their  period 
of  gestation  ends  ;  for  in  all  cases  marked  by  myself,  the  pups 
are  born  soon  after  landing,  some  in  a  few  hours  after,  but 
most  usually  a  day  or  two  elapses  before  delivery. 

They  are  noticed  and  received  by  the  bulls  on  the  water-line 
stations  with  much  attention;  they  are  alternately  coaxed  and 
urged  up  on  to  the  rocks,  and  are  immediately  under  the  most 


134  ALASKA. 

jealou.s  supcrvisiou  ;  but  owing  to  the  covetous  and  ambitious 
nature  of  tlie  bulls,  \Ybic'li  occupy  the  stations  leaihiug  \\i\y 
back  I'loui  the  water-line,  the  little  cows  have  a  rough-and-tum- 
ble time  of  it  wheu  they  begin  to  arrive  in  small  numbers  at 
first ;  for  no  sooner  is  the  pretty  animal  fairly  established  on 
the  station  of  bull  number  one,  who  has  installed  her  there,  he 
perhaps  sees  another  one  of  her  style  down  in  the  water  from 
which  she  has  just  come,  and  in  obedience  to  his  polygamous 
i'eeling,  he  devotes  himself  anew  to  coaxing  the  later  arrival  in 
the  same  winning  manner  so  successful  in  her  case,  when  bull 
number  two,  seeing  bull  number  one  oft  his  guard,  reaches  out 
with  his  long  strong  neck  and  picks  the  unhappy  but  passive 
creature  up  by  the  scruff  of  hers,  just  as  a  cat  does  a  kitten, 
and  deposits  her  on  his  seraglio-ground;  then  bulls  number 
three,  four,  and  so  on,  in  the  vicinity,  seeing  this  high-handed 
operation,  all  assail  one  another,  and  es[)eciall5'  bull  number 
two,  and  have  a  tremendous  fight,  perhaps  for  half  a  minute  or 
so,  and  during  this  commotion  the  cow  generally  is  moved  or 
moves  farther  back  from  the  water,  two  or  three  stations  more, 
where,  when  all  gets  quiet,  she  usually  remains  in  peace.  Her 
last  lord  and  master,  not  having  the  exposure  to  such  diverting 
temptation  as  had  her  first,  he  gives  her  such  care  that  she  not 
only  is  unable  to  leave  did  she  wish,  but  no  other  bull  can  seize 
upon  her.  This  is  only  one  instance  of  the  many  different  trials 
and  tribulations  which  both  parties  on  the  rookery  subject 
themselves  to  before  the  harems  are  filled.  Far  back,  fifteen  or 
twenty  stations  deei)  from  the  water-line  sometimes,  but  gen- 
erally not  more  on  an  average  than  ten  or  fifteen,  the  cows 
crowd  in  at  the  close  of  the  season  for  arriving,  July  10  to  14, 
and  then  they  are  able  to  go  about  pretty  much  as  they  please, 
for  the  bulls  have  become  greatly  enfeebled  by  this  constant 
fighting  and  excitement  during  the  past  two  months,  and  are 
quite  content  with  even  only  one  or  two  partners. 

The  cows  seem  to  haul  in  compact  bodies  from  the  water  up 
to  tlje  rear  of  the  rookeries,  never  scattering  about  over  the 
ground  ;  and  they  will  not  lie  quiet  in  any  position  outside  of 
tlie  great  mass  of  their  kind.  This  is  due  to  their  intensely 
gregarious  nature,  and  for  the  sake  of  protection.  They  also 
select  land  with  special  reference  to  the  drainage,  having  a 
great  dislike  to  water-puddled  ground.  This  is  well  shown  on 
Saint  Paul. 

I  have  found  it  difQcult  to  ascertain  the  average  nuuiber  of 


ALASKA.  135 

COWS  to  one  bull  on  the  rookery,  but  I  tbiiik  it  will  bo  nearly 
correct  to  assign  to  each  male  from  twelve  to  fifteen  females, 
occupying  tbe  stations  nearest  the  water,  and  those  back  in  the 
rear  from  live  to  nine.  I  have  counted  forty-live  cows  all  under 
the  charge  of  one  bull,  which  had  them  penned  up  on  a  Hat  table- 
rock,  near  Keetavie  Point;  the  ball  was  enabled  to  do  this  quite 
easily,  as  there  was  but  one  way  to  go  to  or  come  from  this 
seraglio,  and  on  this  path  the  old  Turk  took  his  stand  and 
guarded  it  well. 

At  the  rear  of  all  these  rookeries  there  is  ahvays  a  large  num- 
ber of  able-bodied  bulls,  who  wait  patiently,  but  in  vain,  for 
families,  most  of  them  having  had  to  fight  as  desperately  for 
the  piivilege  of  being  there  as  any  of  their  more  fortunately- 
located  neighbors,  who  are  nearer  the  water  thgin  tliemselves; 
but  the  cows  do  not  like  to  be  in  any  outside  position,  where 
they  are  not  in  close  company,  lying  most  quiet  and  content  in 
the  largest  harems,  and  these  large  families  pack  the  surface  of 
the  ground  so  thickly,  that  there  is  hardly  moving  or  turning 
room  until  the  females  cease  to  come  up  from  the  sea;  but  the 
inaction  on  the  part  of  the  bulls  in  the  rear  during  the  rutting- 
season  only  serves  to  qualify  them  to  move  into  the  places 
vacated  by  those  males  who  are  obliged  to  leave  from  exhaus- 
tion, and  to  take  the  positions  of  jealous  and  fearless  protectors 
for  the  young  x)ups  in  the  fall. 

The  courage  with  which  the  fur-seal  holds  his  position,  as 
the  head  and  guardian  of  a  family,  is  of  the  very  highest  order, 
compared  with  that  of  other  animals.  1  have  repeatedly  tried 
to  drive  them  when  they  have  fairly  established  themselves, 
and  have  almost  always  failed,  using  every  stone  at  my  com- 
mand, making  all  the  noise  I  could,  and,  finally,  to  put  their 
courage  to  the  full  test,  I  w^alked  up  to  within  20  feet  of  a  bull 
at  the  rear  and  extreme  end  of  Tolstoi  Eookery,  who  had  four 
cows  in  charge,  and  commenced  with  my  double-barreled 
breech-loading  shot-gun  to  pepper  him  all  over  with  nuistard- 
seed  or  dust  shot.  His  bearing,  in  spite  of  the  noise,  smell  of 
P'owder,  and  pain,  did  not  change  in  the  least  from  the  usual 
attitude  of  determined  defense  which  nearly  all  the  bulls  as- 
sume when  attacked  with  showers  of  stones  and  noise;  he 
would  dart  out  right  and  left  and  catch  the  cows,  which  tim- 
idly attempted  to  run  after  each  report,  and  tling  and  drag 
them  back  to  their  places;  then,  stretching  up  to  his  full  height, 
look  me  directly  and  defiantly  in  the  face,  roaring  and  spitting 


li3o  ALASKA. 

most  vcliomently.  The  cows,  however,  soon  got  awp.y  from 
him  5  but  lie  still  stood  his  grountl,  making  little  charges  on  rae 
of  10  or  15  feet,  in  a  succession  of  gallops  or  lunges,  spitting 
furiously,  and  then  retreating  to  the  old  position,  back  of  which 
he  would  not  go,  fully  resolved  to  hold  his  own  or  die  in  the 
attempt. 

This  courage  is  all  the  more  noteworthy  from  the  fact  that, 
in  regard  to  man,  it  is  invarjably  of  a  defensive  character. 
The  seal,  if  it  makes  you  turn  wben  you  attack  it,  never  fol- 
lovrs  you  much  farther  than  the  boundary  of  its  station,  and 
no  aggravation  will  compel  it  to  become  offensive,  as  far  as  I 
have  been  able  to  observe. 

The  covi's,  during  the  whole  season,  do  great  credit  to  their 
amiable  exprej^sion  by  their  manner  and  behavior  on  the  rook- 
ery :  never  fight  or  quarrel  one  with  another,  and  never  or  sel- 
dom utter  a  cry  of  pain  or  rage  when  they  are  roughly  handled 
by  the  bulls,  who  frequently  get  a  cow  between  them  and  tear 
the  skin  from  her  back,  cutting  deep  gashes  into  it,  as  they 
snatch  her  from  mouth  to  mouth.  These  wounds,  however, 
heal  rapidly,  and  exhibit  no  traces  the  next  year. 

The  cows,  like  the  bulls,  vary  much  in  weight.  Two  were 
taken  from  the  rookery  nearest  Saint  Paul's  Village,  after  they 
had  been  delivered  of  tbeir  young,  and  the  respective  weights 
were  5G  and  101  pounds,  the  former  being  about  three  or  four 
years  old,  and  the  latter  over  six.  They  both  were  fat  and  in 
excellent  condition. 

It  is  quite  out  of  the  question  to  give  a  fair  idea  of  the  posi- 
tions in  which  the  seals  rest  when  on  land.  They  may  be 
said  to  assume  every  possible  attitude  which  a  flexible  body  can 
be  put  into.  One  favorite  iiosition,  especially  with  the  cows,  is 
to  i)erch  upon  a  ])oint  or  top  of  some  rock  and  throw  their 
heads  back  upon  their  shoulders,  with  the  nose  held  aloft,  then, 
closing  their  eyes,  take  short  naps  without  changin,!?,  now  and 
then  gently  fanning  with  one  or  the  other  of  the  long,  slender 
hind  flippers;  another,  and  the  most  common,  is  to  curl  them- 
selves up,  just  as  a  dog  does  on  a  hearth  rug,  bringing  the  tail 
and  the  nose  close  together.  They  also  stretch  out,  laying  the 
head  straight  with  the  body,  and  sleep  for  an  hour  or  two  with- 
out moving,  holding  one  of  the  hinder  flippers  up  all  the  time, 
now  and  then  gently  waving  it,  the  eyes  being  tightly  closed. 

The  sleep  of  the  fur-seal,  from  the  old  bull  to  the  young  pup, 
is  always  accompanied  by  a  nervous,  muscular  twitching  and 


ALASKA.  137 

slight  sbifting  of  the  flippers;  quivering  and  uneasy  rolling  of 
the  body,  accompanied  by  a  quick  folding  anew  of  the  fore 
flipi^ers,  which  are  signs,  as  it  were,  of  their  having  night- 
mares, or  sporting,  perhaps,  in  a  visionary  way,  far  off  in  some 
dream-land  sea;  or  disturbed, ^x^rliaps  more  probably,  by  their 
intestinal  parasites.  I  have  studied  lumdreds  of  all  (tlasses, 
stealing  softly  up  so  closely  that  I  could  lay  my  hand  on  them, 
and  have  always  found  the  Sleep  to  be  of  this  nervous  descrip- 
tion. The  respiration  is  short  and  rapid,  but  with  no  breath- 
ing (unless  your  ear  is  brought  very  close)  or  snoring  sound; 
the  heaving  of  the  flanks  only  indicates  the  action.  I  have 
frequently  thought  that  I  had  succeeded  in  linding  a  snoring 
seal,  especially  among  the  pups,  but  a  close  examination  always 
gave  some  abnormal  reason  for  it,  generally  a  slight  distemper, 
by  which  the  nostrils  were  stopped  up  to  a  greater  or  less 
degree. 

As  I  have  said  before,  the  cows,  soon  after  landing,  are  de- 
livered of  their  young. 

Immediately  after  the  birth  of  the  pup,  (twins  are  rare,  if 
ever,)  it  finds  its  voice,  a  weak,  husky  hlaat,  and  begins  to  pad- 
dle about,  with  eyes  wide  open,  in  a  confused  sort  ot  way  for  a 
few  minutes  until  the  mother  is  ready  to  give  it  attention,  and, 
still  later,  suckle  it;  and  for  this  purpose  she  is  provided  with 
four  small,  brown  nipples,  placed  about  eight  inches  apart, 
lengthwise  with  the  body,  on  the  abdomen,  between  the  fore 
and  hinder  flippers,  with  some  four  inches  of  space  between 
them  transversely.  The  nipples  are  not  usually  visible ;  only 
seen  through  the  hair  and  fur.  The  milk  is  abundant,  rich, 
and  creamy.  The  pups  uurse  very  heartilj',  gorging  them- 
selves. 

The  pup  at  birth,  and  for  the  next  three  months,  is  of  a  jet- 
black  color,  hair,  eyes,  and  flippers,  save  a  tiny  white  patch 
just  back  of  each  fore  foot,  and  weighs  from  3  to  4  pounds,  and 
12  to  14  inches  long ;  it  does  not  seem  to  nurse  more  than  once 
every  two  or  three  days,  but  in  this  I  am  most  likely  mistaken, 
for  they  may  have  received  attention  from  the  mother  in  the 
night  or  other  times  in  the  day  when  I  was  unable  to  watch 
them. 

The  apath}^  with  which  the  young  are  treated  by  the  old  on 
the  breeding-grounds  is  somewhat  strange.  I  have  never  seen 
a  cow  caress  or  fondle  her  offspring,  and  should  it  stray  but  a 
short  distance  from  the  harem,  it  cau  be  picked  up  a'^d  killed 


138  ALASKA. 

before  the  motlier's  eyes  vritliout  causing  Ler  to  show  the 
slightest  concern.  The  same  indiiference  is  exhibited  by  the 
bull  to  all  that  takes  place  outside  of  the  boundary  of  his  se- 
raglio. While  the  pups  are,  however,  within  the  limits  of  his 
harem-ground,  he  is  a  jealous  and  fearless  protector  ;  but  if  the 
little  animals  pass  beyond  this  boundary,  then  they  may  be 
carried  off  without  the  slightest  attention  in  their  behalf  from 
their  guardian. 

It  is  surprising  to  me  how  few  of  the  pups  get  crushed  to 
death  while  the  ponderous  bulls  are  tioundenng  over  them 
when  engaged  in  fighting.  1  have  seen  two  bulls  dash  at  each 
other  with  all  the  energy  of  furious  rage,  meeting  right  in  the 
midst  of  a  small  "  pod"  of  forty  or  fifty  pups,  trampling  over 
them  with  their  crushing  weights,  and  bowling  them  out  right 
and  left  in  every  direction,  without  injuring  a  single  one.  I  do 
not  think  more  than  1  per  cent,  of  the  pups  born  each  season 
are  lost  in  this  manner  on  the  rookeries. 

To  test  the  vitality  of  these  little  animals,  I  kept  one  in  the 
house  to  ascertain  how  long  it  could  live  without  nursing, 
having  taken  it  immediately  after  birth  and  before  it  could  get 
any  taste  of  its  mother's  milk  ;  it  lived  nine  days,  and  in  the 
whole  time  half  of  every  day  was  spent  in  floundering  about 
over  the  floor,  accompanying  the  movement  with  a  persistent 
hoarse  blaating.  This  experiment  certainly  shows  wonderful 
vitality,  and  is  worthy  of  an  animal  that  can  live  four  months 
without  food  or  water  and  preserve  enough  of  its  latent  strength 
and  vigor  at  the  end  of  that  time  to  go  far  off  to  sea,  and  return 
as  fat  and  hearty  as  ever  during  the  next  season. 

In  the  pup,  the  head  is  the  only  disproportionate  feature 
when  it  is  compared  with  the  proportion  of  tbe  adult  form,  the 
neck  being  also  relatively  shorter  and  thicker.  I  shall  have  to 
speak  again  of  it,  as  it  grows  and  changes,  when  I  finish  with 
the  breeding-season  now  under  consideration. 

The  cows  appear  to  go  to  and  come  from  the  water  quite  fre- 
quently, and  usually  return  to  the  spot,  or  its  neighborhood, 
where  they  leave  their  pups,  crying  out  for  them,  and  recogniz- 
ing the  individual  replies,  though  ten  thousand  around,  all  to- 
gether, should  blaat  at  once.  They  quickly  single  out  their 
own  and  attend  them.  It  would  be  a  very  unfortunate  matter 
if  the  mothers  could  not  identify  their  young  by  sound,  since 
their  pups  get  together  like  a  great  swarm  of  bees,  spread  out 
upon  the  ground  in  "  pods"  or  groups,  while  they  are  young. 


ALASKA.  139 

ami  not  very  large,  but  by  the  middle  and  end  of  September, 
until  they  leave  in  November,  they  eluster  together,  sleeping 
and  IVolicking  by  tens  of  thousands.  A  mother  conies  np  from 
the  water,  where  she  has  been  to  wash,  and  perhaps  to  feed, 
for  the  last  day  or  two,  to  about  where  she  thinks  her  pup 
shouhl  be,  but  misses  it,  and  tinds  instead  a  swarm  of  pups  iu 
Avhich  it  has  been  incorporated,  owing  to  its  great  fondness  for 
society.  The  mother,  without  at  first  entering  into  the  crowd 
of  thousands,  calls  out,  just  as  a  sheep  does  for  her  lamb,  lis- 
tens, and  out  of  all  the  din  she — if  not  at  first,  at  the  end  of  a 
few  trials — recognizes  the  voice  of  her  offs[)ring,  and  then  ad- 
vances, striking  out  right  and  left,  and  over  tlie  crowd,  toward 
the  position  from  which  it  replies  ;  but  if  the  pup  at  this  time 
happens  to  be  asleep  she  hears  nothing  from  it,  even  though  it 
were  close  by,  and  in  this  case  the  cow,  after  calling  for  a  time 
without  being  answered,  curls  herself  up  and  takes  a  nap,  or 
lazily  basks,  and  is  most  likely  more  successful  when  she  calls 
again. 

The  pups  themselves  do  not  know  their  mothers,  but  they 
are  so  constituted  that  they  incessantly  cry  out  at  short  inter- 
vals during  the  whole  time  they  are  awake,  and  in  this  way  a 
mother  can  pick,  out  of  the  monotonous  blaating  of  thousands 
of  pups,  her  own,  and  she  will  not  permit  any  other  to  suckle. 

Between  tlie  end  of  July  and  the  5tli  or  8th  of  August  the 
rookeries  are  completely  changed  in  appearance ;  the  systematic 
and  regular  disposition  of  the  families,  or  harems,  over  the 
whole  extent  of  ground  has  disappeared;  all  order  heretofore 
existing  seems  to  be  broken  up.  The  ruttiug-season  over,  those 
bulls  which  held  positions  now  leave,  most  of  them  very  thiu 
in  Hesh  and  weak,  and  I  think  a  large  proportion  of  them  do 
not  come  out  again  on  the  laud  during  the  season  ;  and  such  as 
do  come,  appear,  not  fat,  but  iu  good  flesh,  and  in  a  new  coat 
of  rich  dark  and  gray -brown  hair  and  fur,  with  gray  and  gray- 
ish-ocher  "wigs"  or  over-hair  on  the  shoulders,  forming  a 
strong  contrast  to  the  dull,  rusty-brown  and  umber  dress  in 
which  they  appeared  during  the  summer,  and  which  they  had 
begun  to  shed  about  the  15th  of  August,  in  common  with  the 
cows  and  baclielor  seals.  After  these  bulls  leave,  at  the  close 
of  their  season's  work,  those  of  them  that  do  return  to  the;  land 
do  not  come  back  until  the  end  of  September,  and  do  not  haul 
up  on  the  rookery-grounds  as  a  rule,  preferring  to  herd  together, 
as  do  the  young  males,  on  the  sand-beaches  and  other  rocky 


140  ALASKA. 

lioints  close  to  tlie  water.  The  cows,  pups,  aud  those  bulls 
which  have  been  iu  retirement,  now  take  possession,  in  a  very 
disorderly  manner,  of  the  rookeries;  also,  come  a  large  number 
of  young,  three,  four,  and  tive  year  old  males,  who  have  not 
been  permitted  to  laud  among  the  cows,  during  the  rutting- 
season,  by  the  older,  stronger  bulls,  who  have  savagely  fought 
them  ofl'  whenever  they  made  (as  thej'  constantly  do)  an  attempt 
to  land. 

Three-fourths,  at  least,  of  the  cows  are  now  off  in  the  water, 
only  coming  ashore  to  nurse  and  look  after  their  pups  a  short 
time.  They  lie  idly  out  in  the  rollers,  ever  and  anon  turuiug 
over  and  over,  scratching  their  backs  and  sides  with  their  fore 
and  hind  flippers.  i^Tothing  is  more  suggestive  of  immense 
comfort  and  enjoyment  than  is  this  action  of  these  animals. 
They  appear  to  get  very  lousy  on  the  breeding-ground,  and  the 
frequent  winds  and  showers  drive  and  spatter  sand  into  their 
fur  and  eyes,  making  the  latter  quite  sore  iu  many  cases.  They 
also  pack  the  soil  under  foot  so  hard  and  solid  that  it  holds 
water  in  the  surface  depressions,  just  like  so  many  rock  basins, 
on  the  rookery;  out  and  into  these  i^uddles  they  flounder  and 
i:>atter  incessantly,  until  evaporation  slowly  abates  the  nuisance. 

The  pups  sometimes  get  so  thoroughly  plastered  in  these 
muddy,  slimy  puddles,  that  their  hair  falls  oft"  in  patches,  giving 
them  the  appearance  of  being  troubled  with  scrofula  or  some 
other  plague,  at  first  sight,  but  they  are  not,  from  my  observa- 
tion, permanently  injured. 

Early  in  August  (8th)  the  pups  that  are  nearest  the  water  on 
the  rookeries  essay  swimming,  but  make  slow  and  clumsy  prog- 
ress, floundering  about,  when  over  head  in  depth,  iu  the  most 
awkward  manner,  thrashing  the  water  with  their  fore  flippers, 
not  using  the  hinder  ones.  In  a  few  seconds,  or  a  minute  at 
the  most,  the  youngster  is  so  weary  that  he  crawls  out  ui)on 
the  rocks  or  beach,  and  immediately'  takes  a  reCui)erative  luip, 
repeating  the  lesson  as  quick  as  he  awakes  and  is  rested.  Tiiey 
soon  get  familiar  with  the  water,  and  delight  in  it,  swimming 
in  endless  evolutions,  twisting,  turning,  diving,  and  when  ex- 
hausted, they  draw  up  on  the  beach  again,  shake  themselves  as 
young  dogs  do,  either  going  to  sleep  on  the  spot,  or  having  a 
lazy  frolic  among  themselves. 

In  this  matter  of  learning  to  swim,  I  have  not  seen  any 
"  driving"  of  the  young  pups  into  the  water  by  the  old  iu  order 


ALASKA.  141 

to  teach  tliem  tbis  process,  as  has  been  affirmed  by  writers  on 
the  subject  of  seal-life. 

The  pups  are  constantly  shifting?,  at  the  close  of  the  rntting- 
season,  back  and  forth  over  the  rookery  in  large  squads,  some- 
times  numbering  thousands.  In  the  course  of  these  changes 
of  position  thej-  all  come  sooner  or  later  in  contact  with  the  sea  ; 
the  pup  blunders  into  the  water  for  the  first  time  in  a  most 
awkward  manner,  and  gets  out  again  as  quick  as  it  can,  but  so 
far  from  showing  any  fear  or  dislike  of  this,  its  most  natural 
element,  as  soon  as  it  rests  from  its  exertion,  is  immediately 
ready  for  a  new^  trial,  and  keeps  at  it,  if  the  sea  is  not  too 
stormy  or  rongh  at  the  time,  until  it  becomes  quite  familiar 
with  the  water,  and  during  all  this  period  of  self-tuition  it 
seems  to  thoroughly  enjoy  the  exercise. 

By  the  15th  of  September  all  the  pups  have  become  familiar 
with  the  water,  have  nearly  all  deserted  the  background  of 
the  rookeries  and  are  down  by  the  water's  edge,  and  skirt  the 
rocks  and  beaches  for  long  distances  on  ground  previously  un- 
occupied by  seals  of  any  class. 

They  are  now  about  live  or  six  times  their  original  weight,  and 
are  beginning  to  shed  their  black  hair  and  take  on  their  second 
coat,  which  does  not  vary  at  this  age  between  the  sexes.  They 
do  this  very  slowly,  and  cannot  be  called  out  of  molting  or 
shedding  until  the  middle  of  October,  as  a  rule. 

The  pup"s  second  coat,  or  sea-going  jacket,  is  a  uniform, 
dense,  light  pelage,  or  under-fur,  grayish  in  some,  light-brown 
in  others,  the  tine,  close,  soft,  and  elastic  hairs  which  compose 
it  being  about  one-half  of  an  inch  in  length,  and  over-hair,  two- 
thirds  of  an  inch  long,  quite  coarse,  giving  the  color  by  which 
you  recognize  the  condition.  This  over-hair,  on  the  back,  neck, 
and  head,  is  a  dark  chinchilla-gray,  blending  into  a  white,  just 
tinged  with  a  grayish  tone  on  the  abdomen  and  chest.  The 
upper  lip,  where  the  whiskers  or  mustache  takes  root,  is  of  a 
lighter-gray  tone  than  that  which  surrounds.  This  mustache 
consists  of  fifteen  or  twenty  longer  or  shorter  whitish-gray 
bristles  (one-half  to  three  inches)  on  each  side  and  back  of  the 
nostrils,  which  are,  as  I  have  before  said,  similar  to  that  of  a 
dog. 

The  most  attractive  feature  about  the  fur-seal  pup,  and  up- 
ward as  it  grows,  is  the  eye,  which  is  exceedingly  large,  dark, 
and  liquid,  with  which,  for  beauty  and  amiability,  together  with 


142  ALASKA. 

iutelligence  of  expression,  tbose  of  no  other  animal  can  be  com- 
liared.     The  lids  are  well  supplied  with  eyelashes. 

I  do  not  think  that  their  range  of  vision  on  land,  or  out  of  the 
water,  is  very  great.  I  have  had  them  (the  adults)  catch  sight 
of  ray  person,  so  as  to  distinguish  it  as  a  foreign  character,  three 
and  four  hundred  [)aces  off,  with  the  wind  blowing  strongly 
from  them  toward  myself,  but  generally  they  will  allow  you  to 
approach  very  close  indeed,  before  recognizing  your  strangeness, 
and  the  pups  will  s{;arcely  notice  the  form  of  a  human  being 
until  it  is  fairly  on  them,  whereupon  they  make  a  lively  noise, 
a  medley  of  coughing,  spitting,  snorting,  blaating,  and  get 
away  from  its  immediate  vicinity,  but  instantly  resume,  how- 
ever, their  previous  occui)ation  of  either  sleeping  or  playing, 
as  though  nothing  had  happened. 

But  the  power  of  scent  is  (together  with  their  hearing,  before 
mentioned)  exceedingly  keen,  for  I  have  found  that  I  would 
most  invariably'  awake  them  from  soundest  sleep  if  1  got  to  the 
windward,  even  when  standing  a  considerable  distance  off. 

To  recapitulate  and  sum  up  the  system  of  reproduction  on 
the  rookeries  as  the  seals  seem  to  have  arranged  it,  I  would  say, 
that- 
First.  The  earliest  bulls  appear  to  laud  in  a  negligent,  indo- 
lent way,  shortly  after  the  rocks  at  the  water's  edge  are  free 
from  ice,  frozen  snow,  &c.  This  is  generally  about  the  1st  to 
the  5th  of  May,  They  land  first  and  last  in  perfect  confidence 
and  without  fear,  very  fat,  and  of  an  average  weight  of  five 
hundred  pounds ;  some  stayiug  at  the  water's  edge,  some  going 
away  back,  in  fact  all  over  the  rookery. 

Second.  That  by  the  10th  or  12th  of  June,  all  the  stations  on 
the  rookeries  have  been  mapped  out,  fought  for,  and  held  iu 
waiting  for  the  cows  by  the  strongest  and  most  enduring  bulls, 
who  are,  as  a  rule,  never  under  six  years  of  age,  and  sometimes 
three,  and  even  occasionally  four  times  as  old. 

Third.  That  the  cows  make  their  first  appearance,  as  a  class, 
by  the  12th  or  15th  of  June,  in  rather  small  numbers,  but  by 
the  23d  and  25th  of  this  month  they  begin  to  flock  up  so  as  to 
fill  the  harems  very  perceptibly,  and  by  the  8th  or  10th  of  July 
they  have  most  all  come,  stragglers  excepted  ;  average  weight 
eighty  pounds. 

Fourth.  That  the  rutting  season  is  at  its  height  from  the  10th 
to  the  15th  of  July,  and  that  it  subsides  entirely  at  the  end  of 


ALASKA.  143 

this  luontb  and  early  in  August,  and  that  it  is  conflncd  en- 
tirely to  the  land. 

Fifth.  That  the  cows  bear  their  first  young  when  three  years 
of  age. 

Sixth.  That  the  cows  are  limited  to  a  single  pup  each,  as  a 
rule,  in  bearing,  and  this  is  born  soon  after  landing;  no  excep- 
tion has  thus  far  been  witnessed. 

Seventh.  That  the  bulls  who  have  held  the  harems  leave  for 
the  water  in  a  straggling  manner  at  the  close  of  the  rutting- 
season,  greatly  emaciated,  not  returning,  if  at  all,  until  six  or 
seven  weeks  have  elapsed,  and  that  the  regular  systematic  dis- 
tribution of  families  over  the  rookeries  is  at  an  end  for  the  season, 
a  general  medley  of  young  bulls  now  free  to  come  up  from  the 
water,  old  males  who  have  not  been  on  seraglio  duty,  cows,  and 
an  immense  majority  of  pups,  since  only  about  25  per  cent, 
of  their  mothers  are  out  of  the  water  at  a  time. 

Tlie  rookeries  lose  their  compactness  and  definite  boundaries 
by  the  25th  to  28th  July,  when  the  pups  begin  to  haul  back  and 
to  the  right  and  left  in  small  squads  at  first,  but  as  the  season 
goes  on,  by  the  18th.  August,  they  swarm  over  three  and  four 
times  the  area  occupied  by  them  when  born  on  the  rookeries. 
The  system  of  family  arrangement  and  definite  compactness  of 
the  breeding-classes  begins  at  this  date  to  break  up. 

Eighth.  That  by  the  8tli  or  lOth  of  August  the  i)ups  born 
nearest  the  water  begin  to  learn  to  swim,  and  by  the  15th  or 
20th  of  September  they  are  all  familiar  more  or  less  with  it. 

Ninth.  That  by  the  middle  of  September  the  rookeries  are 
entirely  broken  up,  only  confused,  straggling  bands  of  cows, 
young  bachelors,  pups,  and  small  squads  of  old  bulls,  crossing 
and  recrossing  the  ground  in  an  aimless,  listless  manner ;  the 
season  is  over,  but  many  of  these  seals  do  not  leave  these 
grounds  until  driven  off  by  snow  and  ice,  as  late  as  the  end  of 
December  and  12th  of  January. 

This  recapitulation  is  the  sum  and  substance  of  my  observa- 
tions on  the  rookeries,  and  I  will  now  turn  to  the  consideration 
of  the 

HAULING- GROUNDS, 

upon  which  the  yearlings  and  almost  all  the  males  uiuier  six 
years  come  out  from  the  sea  in  squads  from  a  hundred  to  a 
thousand,  and,  later  in  the  season,  by  hundreds  of  thousands, 


144  ALASKA. 

to  sleep  and  frolic,  going  from  a  quarter  to  lialf  a  mile  back 
from  the  sea,  as  at  English  Bay. 

This  class  of  seals  are  termed  "holluschukie"  (or  "bachelor 
seals")  by  the  natives.  It  is  with  the  seals  of  this  division  that 
these  people  are  most  familiar,  since  tbey  are,  together  with  a 
few  thousand  pups  and  some  old  bulls,  the  only  ones  driven  up 
to  the  killing-grounds  for  their  skins,  for  reasons  which  are  ex- 
cellent, and  which  shall  be  given  further  on. 

Since  the  "holluschukie"  are  not  permittetl  by  their  own 
kind  to  laud  on  the  rookeries  and  rest  there,  they  have  the 
choice  of  two  methods  of  landing  and  locatiug. 

One  of  these  opportunities,  and  least  used,  is  to  pass  up  from 
and  down  to  the  water,  through  a  rookery  on  a  pathway  left  by 
common  consent  between  the  harems.  On  these  lines  of  pas- 
sage they  are  unmolested  by  the  old  and  jealous  bulls,  who 
guard  the  seraglios  on  either  side  as  they  go  and  come;  gener- 
ally there  is  a  continual  file  of  them  on  the  way,  traveling  up 
or  down. 

As  the  two  and  three  year  old  holluschukie  come  up  in  small 
squads  with  the  first  bulls  in  the  spring,  or  a  few  days  later, 
these  common  highways  between  the  rear  of  the  rookery-ground 
and  the  sea  get  well  defined  and  traveled  over  before  the  aiTival 
of  the  cows;  for  just  as  the  bulls  crowd  up  for  their  stations,  so 
do  the  bachelors,  young  and  old,  increase.  These  roadways 
may  be  termed  the  lines  of  least  resistance  in  a  big  rookery ; 
tbey  are  not  constant;  they  are  splendidly  shown  on  the  large 
rookeries  of  Saint  Paul's,  one  of  them  (Tolstoi)  exhibiting  this 
feature  finely,  for  the  hauliug-ground  lies  up  back  of  the  rook- 
ery, on  a  fiat  and  rolling  summit,  100  to  120  feet  above  the  sea- 
level.  The  young  males  and  yearlings  of  both  sexes  come 
through  the  rookery  on  these  narrow  pathways,  and,  before 
reaching  the  resting-ground  above,  are  obliged  to  climb  up  an 
almost  abrupt  blufit",  by  following  and  struggling  in  the  little 
water-runs  and  washes  which  are  worn  in  its  face.  As  tbis 
is  a  large  hauliug-ground,  on  which  fifteen  or  twenty  thousand 
commonly  lie  every  day  during  the  season,  the  sight  always,  at 
all  times,  to  be  seen,  in  the  waj'  of  seal  cliuibing  and  crawling, 
was  exceedingly  novel  and  interesling.  They  climb  over  and 
up  to  i)laces  here  where  a  clumsy  man  might  at  first  sight 
say  he  would  be  unable  to  ascend. 

The  other  method  by  which  the  "holluschukie"  enjoy  them- 
selves on  land  is  the  one  most  followed  and  favored.     They,  in 


ALASKA.  145 

this  case,  repair  to  the  beaches  unoccupied  between  the  rook- 
eries, and  there  extend  themselves  out  all  the  way  back  from 
the  water  as  far,  in  some  cases,  as  a  quarter  of  a  mile,  and  even 
farther.  I  have  had  under  my  eye,  in  one  straightforward 
sweep,  from  Zapad-nie  to  Tolstoi,  (three  miles,)  a  million  and  a 
lialf  of  seals,  at  least,  (about  the  middle  of  July.)  Of  these  I 
estimated  fully  one-half  were  pups,  yearlings,  and  "holluschu- 
kie."'  The  great  majority  of  the  two  latter  classes  were  hauled 
out  and  packed  thickly  over  the  two  miles  of  sand-beach  and 
Hat  which  lay  between  the  rookeries ;  many  large  herds  were 
back  as  far  from  the  water  as  a  quarter  of  a  mile. 

A  small  flock  of  the  younger  ones,  from  one  to  three  years 
old,  will  frequently  stray  away  back  from  the  hauling-ground 
lines,  out  and  up  onto  the  fresh  moss  and  grass,  and  there 
sport  and  play,  one  with  another,  just  as  puppy-dogs  do;  and 
when  weary  of  this  gamboling,  a  general  disposition  to  sleep  is 
suddenly  manifested,  and  they  stretch  themselves  out  and  curl 
up  in  all  the  positions  and  all  the  postures  that  their  flexible 
spines  and  ball-and-socket  joints  will  permit.  One  will  lie 
upon  his  back,  holding  up  his  hind  flippers,  lazily  waving  them 
in  the  air,  while  he  scratches  or  rather  rubs  his  ribs  with  the 
fore  hands  alternately,  the  eyes  being  tightly  closed ;  and  the 
breath,  indicated  by  the  heaving  of  his  flanks,  drawn  quickly 
but  regularly,  as  though  in  heavy  sleep ;  another  will  be  flab 
upon  his  stomach,  his  hind  flippers  drawn  under  and  concealed, 
while  he  tightly  folds  his  fore  feet  back  against  his  sides,  just 
as  a  fish  will  sometimes  hold  its  pectoral  fins  ;  and  so  on,  with- 
out end  of  variety,  according  to  the  ground  and  disposition  of 
the  animals. 

While  the  young  seals  undoubtedly  have  the  jiower  of  going 
without  food,  they  certainly  do  not  sustain  any  long  fasting 
periods  on  land,  for  their  coming  and  going  is  frequent  and 
irregular;  for  instance,  three  or  four  thick,  foggy  days  will 
sometimes  call  them  out  by  hundreds  of  thousands,  a  million  or 
two,  on  the  different  hauling-grounds,  where,  in  some  cases, 
they  lie  so  closely  together  that  scarcely  a  foot  of  ground,  over 
acres  in  extent,  is  bare ;  then  a  clearer  and  warmer  day  will 
ensue,  and  the  ground,  before  so  thickly  i^acked  with  animal- 
life,  will  be  almost  deserted,  comparatively,  to  be  filled  again 
immediately  on  the  recurrence  of  favorable  weather.  They  are 
in  just  as  good  condition  of  flesh  at  the  end  of  the  season  as  at. 
the  first  of  it. 

10  AL 


146  ALASKA. 

These  bachelor-seals  are,  I  am  sure,  v.ithout  exceptiou,  the 
most  restless  animals  in  the  whole  brute  creation  ;  they  frolic 
and  lope  about  over  the  grounds  for  hours,  without  a  moment's 
cessation,  and  their  sleep  alter  this  is  short,  and  is  accomi^anied 
with  nervous  twitchings  and  uneasy  movements  j  they  seem  to 
be  fairly  brimful  and  overrunning  with  warm  life.  I  have 
never  observed  anything  like  ill-humor  grow  out  of  their  play- 
ing together ;  invariably  well  pleased  one  Mith  another  in  all 
their  frolicsome  struggles. 

The  pups  and  yearlings  have  an  es])ecial  fondness  for  sport- 
ing on  the  rocks  which  are  just  at  the  water's  level,  so  as  to  be 
alternately  covered  and  uncovered  by  the  sea-rollers.  On  the 
bare  sumnjit  of  these  water-worn  spots  they  struggle  and 
€-lamber.  a  dozen  or  two  at  a  time,  occasionally,  for  a  single 
rock;  the  strongest  or  luckiest  one  pushing  the  others  all  oft, 
which,  however,  simply  redouble  their  efforts  and  try  to  dis- 
lodge him,  who  thus  has,  for  a  few  moments  only,  the  advan- 
tage; for  Avith  the  next  roller  and  the  other  pressure,  he  gen- 
erally is  ousted,  and  the  game  is  repeated.  Sometimes,  as  well 
as  1  could  see,  the  same  squad  of  "  hoUuschukie"  placed 
around  a  rock  thus  situated,  off  "  ^ah  Speel"  rooker^',  during 
the  whole  of  one  day;  but,  of  course,  they  cannot  be  told  apart. 

The  "holluschukie,"  too,  are  the  champion  swimmers;  at 
least  they  do  about  all  the  fancj'  tumbling  and  turning  that  is 
done  by  the  fur-seals  when  in  the  water  around  the  islands. 
The  grave  old  bulls  and  their  matronly  companions  seldom 
indulge  in  any  extravagant  display,  such  as  jumping  out  of  the 
water  like  so  many  dolphins,  describing,  as  these  youngsters 
do,  beautiful  elliptic  curves,  rising  three  and  even  four  feet 
from  the  sea,  with  the  back  slightly  arched,  the  fore  flippers 
folded  back  against  the  sides,  and  the  hinder  ones  extended  and 
pressed  together  straight  out  behind,  plumping  in  head  first, 
reappearing  in  the  same  manner  after  an  interval  of  a  few 
seconds. 

All  classes  will  invariably  make  these  dolphin-jumps  when 
they  are  suddenly  surprised  or  are  driven  into  the  water,  turn- 
ing their  heads,  while  sailing  in  the  air,  between  the  "rises" 
and  "  plumps,"  to  take  a  look  at  the  cause  of  their  disturbance. 
They  all  swim  with  great  rapidity,  and  may  be  fairly  said  to 
<lart  with  the  velocity  of  a  bird  on  the  wing  along  under  the 
water;  and  in  all  their  swimming  I  have  not  been  able  yet  to 
satisfy  myself  how  they  use  their  long,  flexible,  hind  feet,  other 


ALASKA.  147 

tliaii  as  .steering  modiains.  The  propelling  motion,  if  tliey  bave 
any,  is  so  rapid,  iliat  my  eye  is  not  quick  enough  to  catch  it ; 
the  fore  feet,  however,  can  be  very  distinctly  seen  to  work, 
feathering  forward  and  sweeping  back  flatly,  opposed  to  the 
water,  with  great  rapidity  and  energy,  and  are  evidently  the 
sole  i)ropnlsive  power. 

All  their  movements  in  the  water,  when  in  traveling  or  sport, 
are  quick  and  joyous,  and  nothing  is  more  suggestive  of  intense 
satisfaction  and  great  comfort  than  is  the  spectacle  of  a  few 
thousand  old  bulls  and  cows,  off  and  from  a  rookerv  in  August, 
idly  rolling  over,  side  by  side,  rubbing  and  scratching  with 
the  fore  and  hind  flippers,  which  are  here  and  there  stuck  up 
out  of  the  water  like  lateen-sails,  or  ''cat-o'-uine  tails,''  in  either 
case,  as  it  may  be. 

When  the  ''  holluschukie'"  are  ui)  on  land  they  can  be  readily 
separated  into  two  classes  by  the  color  of  their  coats  and  size, 
viz,  the  yearlings,  and  the  two.  three,  four,  and  five  year  old 
bulls. 

The  first  class  is  dressed  just  as  they  were  after  they  shed 
their  pupcoats  and  took  on  the  second  the  previous  year,  in 
September  and  October,  and  now,  as  they  come  out  in  the 
spring  and  summer,  the  males  and  females  cannot  be  distin- 
guished apart,  either  by  color  or  size;  both  yearling  sexes 
having  the  same  gray  backs  and  white  bellies,  and  are  the 
same  in  behavior,  action,  weight,  and  shape. 

About  the  15th  and  20tli  of  August  they  begin  to  grow 
"  stagey,"  or  shed,  in  common  with  all  the  other  classes,  the 
pups  excepted.  The  over-hair  requires  about  six  weeks  from 
the  commencement  of  the  dropping  or  falling  out  of  the  old 
to  its  full  renewal. 

The  pelage,  or  fur,  which  is  concealed  externally  by  the  hair, 
is  also  shed,  and  renewed  slowly  in  the  same  manner;  but, 
being  so  much  finer  than  the  hair,  it  is  not  so  apparent.  It  was 
to  me  a  great  surprise  to  "  learn,"  from  a  man  who  has  been 
heading  a  seal-killing  party  on  these  Islands  during  the  past 
three  years,  and  the  Government  agent  in  charge  of  these  in- 
terests, that  the  seal  never  shed  its  fur;  that  the  over-hair  only 
was  cast  off  and  replaced.  To  prove  that  it  does,  however,  is  a 
very  simple  matter,  and  does  not  require  the  aid  of  a  micro- 
scope. For  example,  take  up  a  prime  spring  or  fall  skin,  after 
every  single  over-hair  on  it  has  been  i)lucked  out,  and  you  will 
bave  dilficulty.  either  to  so  blow  upon  the  thick,  fine  fur,  or 


148  ALASKA. 

to  part  it  with  the  fingers,  as  to  sbow  the  bide  from  wliicb  it 
has  grown ;  theu  take  a  "  stagey"  skin,  by  the  end  of  August 
and  earl}'  iu  September,  wheu  all  the  over-hair  is  present,  about 
one-third  to  one-half  groicn,  and  the  first  puff  you  expeud  upon 
it  easily  shows  the  hide  below,  sometimes  quite  a  broad  welt. 
This  under-fur,  or  pelage,  is  so  fine  and  delicate,  and  so  much 
concealed  and  shaded  by  the  course  over-hair,  that  a  careless 
eye  may  be  pardoned  for  any  such  blunder,  but  only  a  very 
casual  observer  could  make  it. 

The  yearling  cows  retain  the  colors  of  the  old  coat  in  the  new^ 
and  from  this  time  on  shed,  year  after  year,  just  so,  for  the 
young  and  the  old  cows  look  alike,  as  far  as  color  goes,  when 
they  haul  up  on  the  rookeries  in  the  summer. 

The  yearling  males,  however,  make  a  radical  change,  coming 
out  from  their  "  staginess"  in  a  uniform  dark-gray  and  gray- 
black  mixed  and  lighter,  and  dark  ocher,  on  the  under  and  up- 
per parts,  respectively.  This  coat,  next  year,  when  they  come 
np  on  the  hauling-grounds,  is  very  dark,  and  is  so  for  the  third, 
fourth,  and  fifth  years,  when,  after  tbis,  they  begin  to  grow 
more  gray  and  brown,  year  by  year,  w  ith  rufous-ocher  and 
whitish-gray  tipped  over-hair  on  the  shoulders.  Some  of  the 
very  old  bulls  become  changed  to  uniform  dull  grayish-ocher 
all  over. 

The  female  does  not  get  her  full  growth  and  weight  until  the 
end  of  her  fourth  year,  so  far  as  1  have  observed,  but  does  the 
most  of  her  growing  in  the  first  two. 

The  male  does  not  get  his  full  growth  and  -weight  until  the 
close  of  his  seventh  year,  but  realizes  most  of  it  by  the  end  of 
the  fifth,  osteologically,  and  from  tbis  it  may  be,  perhaps,  truly 
inferi'ed  tbat  tbe  bulls  live  to  an  average  age  of  eighteen  or 
twenty  years,  if  undisturbed  in  a  normal  condition,  and  tbat  the 
cows  attain  ten  or  twelve  under  tbe  same  circumstances.  Tbeir 
respective  weights,  when  fully  mature  and  fat  in  the  spring, 
will,  I  tbink,  strike  an  average  of  four  to  five  hundred  pounds 
for  the  male  and  from  seventy  to  eighty  for  the  female. 

From  the  fact  tbat  all  the  young  seals  do  not  change  much  in 
weight,  from  tbe  time  of  their  first  coming  out  in  tbe  spring 
till  tbat  of  tbeir  leaving  in  the  fall  and  early  winter,  I  feel  safe 
in  saying,  since  they,  too,  are  constantly  changing  from  land  to 
water  and  from  water  to  land,  that  they  feed  at  irregular  but 
not  long  intervals  during  tbe  time  they  are  here  under  observa- 
tion, I  do  not  tbink  tbe  young  males  fast  longer  than  a  week 
or  ten  days  at  a  time,  as  a  class. 


ALASKA.  149 

The  leave  evideuces  of  tlieir  beiug  on  these  great  repro- 
ductive fields,  chiefly  ou  the  rookeries,  such  as  hundreds  of 
the  dead  carcasses  of  those  of  them  that  have  been  infirm,  sick, 
killed,  or  >Yhich  have  crawled  off  to  die  from  death-wounds  re- 
ceived in  some  struggle  for  a  harem  ;  and  over  these  decaying, 
putrid  bodies,  the  living,  old  and  young,  clamber  and  i)atter, 
and  by  this  constant  stirring  up  of  putrescent  matter  give  rise 
to  an  exceedingly'  disagreeable  and  far-reaching  "funk,"  which 
has  been,  by  all  the  writers  who  have  spoken  ou  the  subject,  re- 
ferred to  as  the  smell  which  these  animals  have  in  rutting.  If 
these  creatures  have  any  such  odor  peculiar  to  them  when  in 
this  condition,  I  will  frankly  confess  that  I  am  unable  to  dis- 
tinguish it  from  the  fumes  which  are  constantly  being  stirred 
up  and  rising  out  from  these  decaying  carcasses  of  old  seals 
and  the  many  pups  which  have  been  killed  accidentally  by  the 
old  bulls  while  fighting  with  and  charging  back  and  forth 
against  one  another. 

They,  however,  have  a  peculiar  smell  when  they  are  driven 
and  get  heated ;  their  steaming  breath-exhalations  possess  a 
disagreeable,  faint,  sickly  tone,  but  it  can  by  no  means  be  con- 
founded with  what  is  universally  understood  to  be  the  rutting- 
odor  among  animals.  The  finger  rubbed  ou  a  little  fur-seal 
blubber  will  smell  very  much  like  that  which  is  appreciated  in 
their  breath  coming  from  them  when  driven,  only  stronger. 
Both  the  young  and  old  fur-seals  have  this  same  breath-smell 
at  all  seasons. 

By  the  end  of  October  and  the  10th  of  November  the  great 
mass  of  the  "holluschukie"  have  taken  their  departure;  the 
few  that  remain  from  now  until  as  late  as  the  snow  and  ice  will 
permit  them  to  do,  in  and  after  December,  are  all  down  by  the 
water's  edge,  and  hauled  up  almost  entirely  on  the  rocky 
beaches  only,  deserting  the  sand.  The  first  snow  falling  makes 
them  uneas}',  as  also  does  rain-fall.  1  have  seen  a  large  haul- 
ing ground  entirely  deserted  after  a  rainy  day  and  night  by  its 
hundreds  of  thousands  of  occupants.  The  falling  drops  spat- 
ter and  beat  the  sand  into  their  eyes,  fur,  &c.,  I  presume,  and 
in  this  way  make  it  uncomfortable  for  them. 

The  weather  in  which  the  far-seal  delights  is  cool,  moist, 
foggy,  and  thick  enough  to  keep  the  sun  always  obscured  so  as 
to  cast  no  shadows.  Such  weather,  continued  for  a  few  weeks 
in  June  and  July,  brings  them  up  from  the  sea  by  millions ; 
but,  as  I  have  before  said,  a  little  sunlight  and  the  temperature 
as  high  as  50°  to  55^,  will  send  them  back  from  the  hauling- 


150 


ALASKA. 


grounds  almost  as  quickly  as  they  came.  These  sunuy,  warm 
days  are,  however,  ou  Saiut  PauFs  Island,  very  rare  indeed, 
and  so  the  seals  can  have  but  little  ground  of  complaint,  if  we 
may  presume  that  they  have  any  at  all. 

I  saw  but  three  albino  pups  among  the  hundreds  of  thousands 
on  Saint  Paul's  and  none  on  Saint  George.  The}'  did  not  differ 
in  any  resjject  from  the  other  (normal)  pups  in  size  and  shape. 
Their  hair,  in  the  first  coat,  was,  all  over,  a  dull  ocher ;  the  flip- 
pers and  muzzle  were  a  flesh-tone,  and  the  iris  of  the  eye  sky- 
blue.  The  second  coat  gives,  them  a  dirty  yellowish-white 
color,  but  it  makes  them  exceedingly  conspicuous  when  in  among 
the  black  pups,  gray  yearlings,  and  "  holluschukie." 

I  have  also  never  seen  any  malformations  or  "monsters" 
among  the  pups  and  other  classes  of  the  fur-seal ;  nor  have  the 
natives  recorded  anything  of  the  kind,  so  far  as  I  could  ascer- 
tain from  them. 

Another  curious  fact  may  be  recorded,  that,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  those  animals  which  have  received  wounds  in  combat, 
no  sick  or  dying  seals  are  seen  upon  the  islands.  Out  of  the 
great  numbers,  thousands  upon  thousands  of  seals  that  must 
die  every  year  from  old  age  alone,  not  one  have  I  ever  seen 
here.    They  evidently  give  up  their  lives  at  sea. 

TaT)le  alwwitig  the  Kcigltf,  size,  and  (jrowih  of  llie  fur-seal,  (CaUorhbius  iirsi)it(s,} 
from  the  I)  up  to  the  adult,  maU  and  female. 

[Tbe  weigbts  and  measurement'*  -were  taljen  by  Mr.  Samuel  Falconer  and  the  writer  on  tlio 
killing-grounds  at  Saint  George's  Island,  in  1873.] 


Age. 

Length. 

Girth. 

Gross 

weight  of 

body. 

Weight 
of  skin. 

Eemarks. 

Inches. 

Inch  eg. 

Pounds. 

Pound.'!. 

One  week 

12  to  14 

10  to  lOJ- 

0  to     7* 

li 

A  male  and  female,  being 

the  only  one  of  this  class 
handled. 

Sis  months 

24 

25 

33 

3 

A  mean  of  ten  examples, 
males  and  females  alike  ia 

.size. 

One  year 

38 

25 

39 

4Jt 

A  mean  of  six  examples, 
males  and  females  alike  ia 

size. 

Two  years 

43 

30 

58 

5.V 

A  mean  of  thirty  examples, 
all  males,  July  24,  1873. 

Three  years 

52 

30 

87 

7 

A  mean  of  thirt.y-two exam- 
ples, iill  males,  July  24, 
1873. 

Four  years 

08 

42 

135 

12 

A  mean  of  ten  examples,  all 
males,.Julv  24.1873. 

Five  years 

6,j 

52 

200 

IC 

A  mean  of  live  examples,  all 
males,  July  24,  1873. 

Six  years 

72 

64 

280 

25 

A  mean  of  three  examples, 
all  males,  July  24,  1873. 

Eight  to  twenty 

75  to  SO 

70  to  75 

400  to  500 

45  to  50 

An  e.stiina1c  onlv,  calcnlat- 

years. 

ing  on  their  weight  when 
fat,  and  early  in  the  sea- 
son. 

ALASKA.  151 

The  females,  adults,  will  correspond  with  tlie  three-year-old 
males  in  the  above  table,  the  younyer  cows  weighing  tVequently 
only  75  pounds,  and  many  of  the  older  ones  going  as  high  as 
120,  but  an  average  of  80  to  85  pounds  is  the  rule. 

The  five  and  six  year  old  males,  when  they  tirst  make  their 
appearance  in  May  and  June,  are  very  much  heavier  than  at 
the  time  I  weighed  them  in  July ;  they  are  then,  perhaps,  when 
fat  and  fresh,  fully  oue-tliird  heavier  than  the  exhibit  on  the 
table,  but  the  cows  and  other  classes  do  not  sustain  protracted 
fasts,  and  do  not  vary  much  through  the  season. 


152  ALASKA. 


THE    SEA-LIOX,    (EUMETOPIAS    STELLERI,)    "SEE-A'ITCIIIE"   OF 

THE  RUSSIAN'S. 

This  animal,  althongli  much  below  the  fur-seal  with  reference 
to  intelligence  and  physical  organization,  ranks  next  in  natural 
order,  and  can,  as  well  as  its  more  sagacious  and  valuable  rela- 
tive, be  seen  to  better  advantage  on  these  islands  than  else- 
where, i^erhaps,  in  the  world. 

By  looking  at  the  plate,  a  glance  will  show  at  once  the 
marked  difference  between  this  animal  and  the  CaUorhinus.  It 
has  a  really  leonine  appearance  and  bearing,  greatly  enhanced 
by  the  rich,  golden-rufous  of  its  coat,  ferocity  of  expression, 
and  bull-dog-like  muzzle  and  cast  of  eye,  not  round  and  full, 
but  showing  the  white,  or  sclerotic  coat,  with  a  light,  bright- 
brown  iris. 

Although  provided  with  tlippers  to  all  external  view  as  the 
fur-seal,  he  cannot,  however,  make  use  of  them  in  the  same 
free  manner.  While  the  fur-seal  can  be  driven  live  or  six  miles 
in  twenty-four  hours,  the  sea-lion  can  barely  go  two,  the  con- 
ditions of  weather  and  roadwa.y  being  the  same.  The  sea-lions 
balance  and  swing  their  long,  heavy  necks  to  and  fro,  with  every 
hitch  up  behind  of  their  posteriors,  which  they  seldom  raise  from 
the  ground,  drawing  them  up  after  the  fore  feet  with  a  slide 
over  the  grass  or  sand,  rocks,  &c.,  as  the  case  may  be,  and 
pausing  frequently  to  take  a  sullen  and  ferocious  survey  of  the 
field  and  the  drivers. 

The  sea-lion  bull  of  Bering  Sea,  when  full-grown  and  in 
good  condition,  will  measure  off  in  length  11  to  12.5  feet  from 
uose  to  tip  of  tail,  (v/hich  is  seldom  over  3  or  4  inches  long,) 
and  girth  10.  Unfortunately,  I  was  not  able  to  weigh  one  of 
these  big  bulls,  and  can,  therefore,  only  estimate  this  weight 
at  a  thousand  pounds,  while,  perhaps,  some  of  the  largest  and 
finest  old  fellows  will  touch  twelve  to  thirteen  hundred ;  but  I 
doubt  it. 

The  sea-lion  is  polygamous,  but  does  not  maintain  any  such 
regular  system  and  method  in  preparing  for  and  attentiou  to 
its  harem  like  that  so  finely  illustrated  on  the  breeding-grounds 
of  the  fur-seal.  It  is  not  numerous,  comparatively  speaking, 
and  does  not  "haul"  more  than  a  few  rods  back  from  the  sea. 
It  cannot  be  visited  and  inspected  by  man,  being  so  shy  and 


ALASKA.  153 

wary  that  ou  the  slightest  approach  a  stampede  into  the  water 
is  the  certain  result.  Tbe  males  come  out  and  locate  on  the 
narrow  belts  of  rookery-ground,  preferred  and  selected  by 
them ;  the  cows  make  their  appearance  three  or  four  weeks 
after  them,  (1st  to  Gth  June,)  and  are  not  subjected  to  that  in- 
tense jealous  supervision  so  characteristic  of  the  fur-seal  harem. 
The  bulls  fight  savagely  among  themselves,  and  turn  off  from 
the  breeding-ground  all  the  younger  and  weak  males. 

Tbe  cow  sea-lion  is  not  quite  half  the  size  of  the  male,  and 
will  measure  from  8  to  9  feet  iu  length,  with  a  weight  of  four 
and  live  hundred  pounds.  She  has  the  same  general  cast  of 
countenance  and  build  of  the  bull,  but  as  she  does  not  sustain 
any  tasting  period  of  over  a  week  or  ten  days,  she  never  comes 
out  so  grossly  fat  as  the  male  or  "see-catch.'- 

The  sea-lion  rookery  will  be  found  to  consist  of  about  ten  to 
fifteen  cows  to  the  bull.  The  cow  seems  at  all  times  to  have 
the  utmost  freedom  in  moving  from  place  to  place,  and  to  start 
with  its  young,  picked  up  sometimes  by  the  nape,  into  the 
water,  and  play  together  for  spells  iu  the  surf-wash,  a  move- 
ment on  tbe  part  of  the  mother  never  made  by  the  fur-seal, 
and  showing,  in  this  respect,  much  more  attention  to  its  off- 
spring. 

Tliey  are  divided  up  into  classes,  which  sustain,  in  a  general 
manner,  but  very  imperfectly,  nearly  the  same  relation  one  to 
the  other  as  do  those  of  the  fur-seal,  of  which  1  have  already 
spoken  at  length  and  in  detail ;  but  they  cannot  be  approached, 
inspected,  and  managed  like  tlie  other,  by  reason  of  their  wild 
and  timid  nature.  They  visit  the  islands  in  numbers  compara- 
tively small,  (I  can  only  estimate,)  not  over  twenty  or  twenty- 
five  thousand  onSaintPaul's  and  contiguous  islets,  and  not  more 
than  seven  or  eight  thousand  at  Saint  George.  On  Saint  Paul's 
Island  they  occupy  a  small  portion  of  the  breeding-ground  at 
]S'ortheast  Point,  iu  common  with  the  CallorJiinus,  always  close 
to  the  water,  and  taking  to  it  at  the  slightest  disturbance  or 
alarm. 

The  sea-lion  rookery  on  Saint  George's  Island  is  the  best 
place  upon  the  Seal  Islands  for  close  observation  of  these  ani- 
mals, and  the  following  note  was  made  upon  the  occasion  of 
one  of  my  visits,  (June  15,  1873:) 

"xVt  the  base  of  cliffs,  over  400  feet  in  height,  on  the  east 
shore  of  the  island,  on  a  beach  50  or  GO  feet  iu  width  at  low 
water,  and  not  over  30  or  40  at  flood-tide,  lies  the  only  sea-lion 


154:  ALASKA. 

rookery-  on  Saint  George's  Island — some  three  or  four  thousand 
cows  and  bulls.  The  entire  circuit  of  this  rookery- belt  was 
passed  over  by  us,  the  big',  timorous  bulls  rushing  off  into  the 
water  as  quickly. as  the  cows,  all  leaving  their  young.  ]\[any 
of  the  females,  perhaps  half  of  them,  had  only  just  given  birth 
to  their  young.  These  pups  will  weigh  at  least  twenty  to  twen- 
ty-five pounds  on  an  average  when  born,  are  of  a  dark,  choca- 
late-brown,  with  tbe  eye  as  large  as  the  adult,  only  being  a  suf- 
fused, watery,  gray-blue,  where  the  sclerotic  coat  is  well  and 
sharply  defined  in  its  maturity.  They  are  about  2  feet  in  length, 
some  longer  and  some  smaller.  As  all  the  pups  seen  to-day 
were  very  young,  some  at  this  instant  only  born,  they  were  dull 
and  apathetic,  not  seeming  to  notice  us  much.  There  are,  I 
should  say,  about  one-sixth  of  the  sea-lions  in  number  on  this 
island,  when  compared  with  Saint  Paul's.  As  these  animals 
lie  here  under  the  cliffs,  they  cannot  be  approached  and  driven; 
but  should  they  haul  a  few  hundred  rods  up  to  the  south,  then 
they  can  be  easily  cnptured.  They  have  hauled  in  this  manner 
always  until  disturbed  in  18G8,  and  will  undoubtedly  do  so 
again  if  not  molested. 

"  These  sea-lions,  when  they  took  to  the  water,  swam  out  to 
a  distance  of  fifty  yards  or  so,  and  huddled  all  up  together  in 
two  or  three  packs  or  squads  of  about  five  hundred  each,  hold- 
ing their  heads  and  necks  up  high  out  of  water,  all  roaring  in 
concert  and  incessantly,  making  such  a  deafening  noise  that 
we  could  scarcely  hear  ourselves  in  conversation  at  a  distance 
from  them  of  over  a  hundred  yards.  This  roaring  of  sea-lions, 
thus  disturbed,  can  only  be  compared  to  the  hoarse  sound  of  a 
tempest  as  it  howls  through  the  rigging  of  a  ship,  or  the  play- 
ing of  a  living  gale  upon  the  bare  branches,  limbs,  and  trunks 
of  a  forest-grove."  They  commenced  to  return  as  soon  as  w'e 
left  the  ground. 

The  voice  of  the  sea-lion  is  a  deep,  grand  roar,  and  does  not 
have  the  flexibility  of  the  CaUorhinns,  being  confined  to  a  low, 
muttering  growl  or  this  bass  roar.  The  pups  are  very  playful, 
but  are  almost  always  silent.  When  they  do  utter  sound,  it  is 
a  sharp,  short,  querulous  growling. 

THE  DRIVE  OF  THE  SEA-LIONS  ON  SAINT  PAUL'S  ISLAND. 

The  natives  have  a  very  high  appreciation  of  the  sea-lion,  or 
see-vitchie,  as  they  call  it,  and  base  this  regard  upon  the  supe- 
rior quality  of  the  flesh,  fat,  an<l  hide,  (for  making  covers  for 


ALASKA.  •  155 

their  skin  boats,  hidarl-ics  and  lldarralis,)  siuews,  iiitestiues 
&c. 

As  I  have  before  said,  the  sea-lioii  seklom  hauls  back  far 
from  the  water,  generally  very  close  to  the  surf-margin,  and  in 
this  position  it  becomes  quite  a  difiticult  task  for  the  uatives  ta 
approach  and  get  in  betweeu  it  and  the  sea  unobserved,  for, 
unless  this  silent  approach  is  made,  the  beast  will  at  once  take 
the  alarm  and  bolt  into  the  water. 

By  reference  to  my  map  of  Saint  Paul's,  a  small  point,  near 
the  head  of  the  northeast  ueck  of  the  island^  will  be  seen, 
upon  which  quite  a  large  number  of  sea-lions  are  always  to  be 
found,  as  it  is  never  disturbed  except  on  the  occasion  of  this  an- 
nual driving.  The  natives  step  down  on  to  the  beach, in  the  little 
bight  just  above  it,  and  begin  to  crawl  on  all  fours  flat  on  the 
sand  down  to  the  end  of  the  neck  and  in  between  the  dozing  sea- 
lion  herd  and  the  water,  always  selecting  a  semi-bright  moonligbt 
uiglit.  If  the  wind  is  favorable,  and  none  of  the  men  meet  with 
an  accident,  the  natives  will  almost  always  succeed  in  reach- 
ing the  point  unobserved,  when,  at  a  given  signal,  they  all  jump 
up  on  their  feet  at  once,  yell,  brandish  their  arms,  and  give  a 
sudden  start,  or  alarm,  to  the  herd  above  them,  for,  just  as  the 
sea-lions  move,  upon  the  first  impulse  of  surprise,  so  they  keep 
on.  For  instance,  if  the  animals  on  starting  up  are  sleeping 
with  their  heads  pointed  in  the  direction  of  the  water,  they 
keep  straight  on  toward  it;  but  if  the^^  jump  up  looking  over 
the  land,  they  follow  that  course  just  as  desperately,  and  noth- 
ing turns  them,  at  first,  either  one  way  or  the  other.  Those 
that  go  for  the  water  are,  of  course,  lost,  but  the  natives  follow 
the  land-leaders  and  keep  urging  them  on,  and  soon  have  them 
in  their  control,  driving  them  back  into  a  small  pen,  which  they 
extemporize  by  means  of  little  stakes,  with  flags,  set  around  a 
circuit  of  a  few  hundred  square  feet,  and  where  they  keep  them 
until  three  or  four  hundred,  at  least,  arc  captured,  before  they 
commence  their  drive  of  ten  miles  overland  down  south  to  the 
village. 

The  natives,  latterly,  in  getting  this  annual  herd  of  sea-lions, 
have  postponed  it  until  late  in  the  fall,  and  when  the  animals 
are  scant  in  number  and  the  old  bulls  poor.  This  they  were 
obliged  to  do,  on  account  of  the  pressure  of  their  sealing-busi- 
uess  in  the  spring,  and  the  warmth  of  the  season  in  August  and 
September,  which  makes  the  driving  very  tedious.  In  this  way 
I  have  not  been  permitted  to  behold  the  best-conditioned 
drives,  i.  e.,  those  in  which  a  majority  of  the  herd  is  made  up 


156  ALASKA. 

of  fine,  euormously  fat,  aud  heavy  bulls,  some  four  or  five  liuu- 
(Irecl  in  number. 

The  natives  are  compelled  to  go  to  the  northeast  point  of  the 
island  for  these  animals,  inasmuch  as  it  is  the  only  place  with 
natural  advantages  where  they  can  be  ai^proached  for  the  pur- 
pose of  capturing-  alive.  Here  they  congregate  in  greatest 
number,  although  they  can  be  found,  two  or  three  thousand  of 
them,  on  the  southwest  point,  and  as  many  more  on  "  See- 
vitchie  Cammiu"  and  Otter  Island. 

Capturing  the  sea-lion  drive  is  really  the  only  serious  busi- 
ness these  people  on  the  islands  have,  and  when  they  set  out  for 
the  task  the  picked  men  only  leave  the  village.  At  Northeast 
Point  they  have  a  barrabkie,  in  which  they  sleep  and  eat  while 
gathering  the  drove,  the  time  of  getting  which  depends  upon 
the  weather,  wind,  &:c.  As  the  squads  are  captured,  night  after 
night,  they  are  driven  up  close  by  the  barrabkie,  where  the 
natives  mount  constant  guard  over  them,  until  several  hundred 
animals  shall  have  been  secured,  and  all  is  ready  for  the  drive 
down  overland  to  the  village. 

The  drove  is  started  and  conducted  in  the  same  general  man- 
ner as  that  which  I  have  detailed  in  speaking  of  the  fur-seal, 
only  the  sea-lion  soon  becomes  very  sullen  and  unwilling  to 
move,  requiring  spells  of  frequent  rest.  It  cannot  pick  itself 
up  from  the  ground  and  shamble  otf  on  a  loping  gallop  for  a  few 
hundred  yards,  like  the  Callorhimis^  and  is  not  near  so  free  and 
agile  in  its  movements  on  land,  or  in  the  water  for  that  matter, 
for  I  have  never  seen  the  Eumetopms  leap  from  the  water  like 
a  dolphin,  or  indulge  in  the  thousand  and  one  submarine  acro- 
batic displays  made  constantly  by  the  fur-seal. 

This  ground,  over  which  the  sea-lions  are  driven,  is  mostly  a 
rolling  level,  thickly  grassed  and  mossed  over,  with  here  and 
there  a  fresh-water  pond  into  which  the  animals  plunge  with 
great  apparent  satisfaction,  seeming  to  cool  themselves,  and 
out  of  which  the  natives  have  no  trouble  in  driving  them.  The 
distance  between  the  sea-lion  x)en  at  Northeast  Poiut  and  the 
village  is  about  ten  miles,  as  the  sea-Iious  are  driven,  and  occu- 
pies over  five  or  six  days  under  the  most  favorable  circum- 
stances, such  as  wet,  cold  weather ;  and  when  a  little  warmer, 
or  as  in  July  or  August,  a  few  seasons  ago,  they  were  some 
three  weeks  coming  down  with  a  drove,  and  even  then  left  a 
hundred  or  so  along  on  the  road. 

After  the  drove  has  been  brought  into  the  village  on  the  kill- 


ALASKA.  157 

iug-grouucis,  the  natives  shoot  down  the  bulls  and  then  sur- 
round and  huddle  u[>  the  cows,  spearing  them  just  behind  the 
lore-flippers.  The  killing  of  the  sea-lions  is  quite  an  exciting 
spectacle,  a  strange  and  unparalleled  exhibition  of  its  kind ; 
and  I  cannot  do  better  than  to  refer  directly  and  silentlj'  to  my 

■ 

illustrations  of  it.  The  bodies  are  at  once  stripped  of  their 
hides  and  much  of  the  flesh,  sinews,  intestines,  (with  which  the 
native  water-proof  coats,  &c.,  are  made,)  in  conjunction  with 
the  throat-linings,  {cesoph  a  {/us,)  and  the  skin  of  the  flippers,  which 
is  exceedingly  tough  and  elastic,  and  used  for  soles  to  their 
boots  or  "  tarhosars.'- 

As  the  sea-lion  is  without  fur,  the  skin  has  little  or  no  com- 
mercial value ;  the  hair  is  short,  and  longest  over  the  nape  of 
the  neck,  straight,  and  somewhat  coarse,  varying  in  color  greatly 
as  the  seasons  come  and  go.    For  instance,  when  the  Uumetopias 
makes  his  first  appearance  in  the  spring,  and  dries  out  upon 
the  land,  he  has  a  light-brownish,  rufous  tint,  darker  shades 
back  and  under  the  fore  flippers  and  on  the  abdomen  ;  by  the 
expiration  of  a  mouth  or  six  week,  15th  June,  he  will  be  a  bright 
golden-rufous  or  ocher,  and  this  is  just  before  shedding,  which 
sets  in  by  the  middle  of  August,  or  a  little  earlier.    After  the 
new  coat  has  fairly  grown,  and  just  before  he  leaves  the  island 
for  the  season,  in  November,  it  will  be  a  light  sepia,  or  vandyke- 
brown,  with  deeper  shades,  almostdark  upon  the  belly;  the  cows, 
after  shedding,  do  not  color  up  so  dark  as  the  bulls,  but  when 
they  come  back  to  the  land  next  year  they  are  identically  the 
same  in  color,  so  that  the  eye  in   glancing  over  a  sea-lion 
rookery  in  June  and  July  cannot  discern  any  noted  dissimilar- 
ity of  coloring  between  the  bulls  and  the  cows  f  and  also  the 
young  males  and  yearlings  appear  in  the  same  golden-browu 
and  ocher,  with  here  and  there  an  animal  spotted  somewhat 
like  a  leopard,  the  yellow,  rufous  ground  predominating,  with 
patches  of  dark-brown  irregularly  interspersed.     I  have  never 
seen  any  of  the  old  bulls  or  cows  thus  mottled,  and  think  very 
likely  it  is  due  to  some  irregularity  in  the  younger  animals 
during  the  season  of  shedding,  for  I  have  not  noticed  it  early 
in  the  season,  and  failed  to  observe  it  at  the  close.    Many  of 
the  old  bulls  have  a  grizzled  or  slightly  brindled  look  during 
the  shedding-period,  or,  that  is,  from  the  10th  August  up  to  the 
10th  or  20th  of  November;  the  pups,  when  born,  are  of  a  rich, 
dark  chestnut-brown  ;   this   coat  they  shed   in  October,  and 
take  one  much  lighter,  but  still  darker  than  their  parents', 

but  not  a  great  deal. 


158  ALASKA. 

Although,  as  I  liave  ah^eady  indicated,  the  sea-lion,  in  its 
habit  and  disposition,  approximates  the  fnr-seal,  yet  in  no 
respect  does  it  maintain  and  enforce  the  system  and  regu- 
larity found  on  the  breeding-grounds  of  the  CoUorhinus.  The 
time  of  arrival  at,  stay  on,  and  dei)arture  from  the  island  is 
about  the  same;  but  if  the  winter  is  an  open,  mild  one,  the  sea- 
lion  will  be  seen  frequently  all  tbrongh  it,  and  the  natives 
occasionally  shoot  them  around  the  island  long  after  the  fur- 
seals  have  entirely  disapjienred  for  the  year.  It  also  does  not 
confine  its  landing  to  these  Prybilov  Islands  alone,  as  the  fur- 
seal  unquestionably  does,  with  reference  to  our  continent ;  for 
It  has  been  and  is  often  shot  upon  the  Aleutian  Islands  and 
many  rocky  islets  of  the  northwest  coast. 

The  sea-lion  in  no  respect  whatever  manifests  the  intelligence 
and  sagacity  exhibited  by  the  fur-seal,  and  must  be  rated  far 
below,  although  next,  in  uaturfJ  order.  I  have  no  hesitation 
in  putting  this  Uiimetopias  of  the  Prybilov  Islands,  apart  from 
the  sea-lion  common  at  San  Francisco  and  Santa  Barbara,  as  a 
4listiuct  animal;  and  I  call  attention  to  the  excellent  descrip- 
tion of  the  California  sea-lion,  made  public  in  the  April  num- 
ber for  1872  of  the  Overland  Monthly,  by  Capt.  C.  M.  Scammon, 
in  which  the  distinguishing  characters,  externally,  of  this  animal 
are  well  defined,  and  by  which  the  difference  between  the 
Eumc'toplas  of  Bering  Sea  and  that  of  the  coast  of  California 
can  at  once  be  seen )  and  also  I  notice  one  more  point  in  which 
the  dissimilarity  is  marked — the  northern  sea- lion  never  barks 
or  howls  like  the  animal  at  the  Farralones  or  Santa  Barbara. 
Young  and  old,  both  sexes,  from  one  year  and  upward,  have 
only  a  deep  hms  fjroicl,  and  prolonged,  steady  roar  ;  while  at  San 
Francisco  sea-lions  break  out  incessantly  with  a  ''  honking" 
bark  or  howl,  and  never  roar. 

I  am  not  to  be  understood  as  saying  that  all  the  sea-lions  met 
with  on  the  Californiau  coast  are  different  from  E.  stelleri  of 
Bering  Sea.  I  am  well  satisfied  that  stragglers  from  the  north 
are  down  on  the  Farralones,  but  they  are  not  migrating  back 
and  forth  every  season  ;  and  I  am  furthermore  certain  that  not 
11  single  animal  of  the  species  most  common  at  San  Francisco 
was  present  among  those  breeding  on  the  Prvbilov  Islands  in 
lS72-'73. 

According  to  the  natives  of  Saint  George,  some  fifty  or  sixty 
years  ago  the  Eumetopias  held  almost  exclusive  possession  of 
the  island,  being  there  in  great  numbers,  some  two  or  three 


ALASKA.  150 

liundied  thousand  :  and  that,  as  the  fur-seals  were  barely  per- 
mitted to  land  by  these  animals,  and  in  no  ^reat  number,  the 
Kussiaus  directed  them  (the  natives)  to  bunt  and  worry  the 
vsea-lions  off  from  the  island,  and  the  result  was  that  as  the  sea- 
lions  leit,  the  fur-seals  came,  so  that  today  they  occupy  nearly 
the  same  ground  covered  by  the  Eumetox)kiii  alone  sixty  years 
ago.  This  statement  is,  or  seems  to  be,  corroborated  by  Choris, 
in  liis  description  of  the  lies  S.-George's  et  S.-PauFs,  visited 
by  him  fifty  years  ago  ;*  but  the  account  given  by  Bishop 
Veuiaminov,t  and  placed  in  the  Appendix,  differs  entirely  from 
the  above,  for  by  it  almost  as  many  fur-seals  were  taken  on. 
Saint  George,  during  the  first  years  of  occupation,  as  on  Saint 
Paul,  and  never  have  been  less  than  one-sixth  of  the  number 
on  die  larger  island.  For  this  the  natives  claim  to  have,  on 
the  one  hand,  proof  as  to  the  truth  of  their  statement,  and 
Father  Yeniaminov,  on  the  other,  publishes  upon  the  credit  of 
reliable  lists  and  manuscripts  in  his  posses.siou  at  the  time  of 
writing.  1  am  strongly  inclined  to  believe  that  the  i.slaud  of 
Saint  George  never  was  resorted  to  in  any  great  numbers  by 
the  fur-seal,  and  that  the  sea-lion  was  the  dominant  animal 
there  until  disturbed  and  driven  from  its  breeding-grounds  by 
the  people,  who  sought  to  encourage  the  coming  of  its  more 
valuable  relative  by  so  doing,  and  making  room  in  this  way 
for  it. 

The  sea-lion  has  but  little  value  save  to  the  natives,  and  is 
more  prized  on  account  of  its  flesh  and  skin,  by  the  people  liv- 
ing upon  the  islands  and  similar  positions,  than  it  would  be 
elsewhere.  The  matter  of  its  preservation  and  perpetuation 
should  be  left  entirely  to  them,  and  it  will  be  well  looked  after. 
It  is  singular  that  the  fat  of  the  sea-lion  should  be  so  different 
in  characters  of  taste  and  smell  from  that  of  the  fur-seal,  be- 
ing free  from  any  taint  of  disagreeable  flavor  or  odor,  while 
the  blubber  of  the  latter,  although  so  closely  related,  is  most 
repugnant.  The  flesh  of  the  sea-lion  cub  is  tender,  Juicy,  light- 
colored,  and  slightly  like  veal;  in  my  o|)iuion,  quite  good.  As 
the  animal  grows  older,  the  meat  is  dry,  tough,  and  without 
flavor. 

*  Voyage  Pittorcsque  autour  du  Monde. 

t  Zapeeskie  ob  Ostrovah  Oouahlashkeuskaho  Otdayla,  St.  Petersburg,  1540. 


IGO  ALASKA. 


THE   WALRUS   OF  BERING   SEA,    (R0S3IARUS   ARCTICUS.) 

I  write  "  the  M'alrus  of  Bering  Sea,''^  because  this  animal  is 
quite  distiuct  from  the  walrus  of  the  ISTorth  Atlantic  and 
Greenland,  differing- from  it  specifically  in  a  very  striking  man- 
ner, by  its  greater  size  and  semi-hairless  skin. 

These  clumsy  beasts  are,  at  the  present  time,  only  to  be  seen 
on  Walrus  Island,  being  so  shj^  and  timid  that  they  have  de- 
serted the  other  islands  as  they  were  populated  by  man.  In 
early  days,  or  when  the  Russians  first  took  possession,  a  great 
many  walruses  were  found  at  Northeast  Point  and  along  the 
south  shore  of  Saiut  Paul's  Island,  but  with  the  landing  of  the 
traders  and  sea-hunters  the  walrus  abruptly  took  its  departure, 
and  Walrus  Island  alone  is  now  frequented  by  it,  being  isolated 
and  seldom  visited  during  the  year  by  the  natives. 

It  is  of  small  commercial  importance;  the  ivory  is  of  poor 
quality,  mostly  porous,  pithy,  and  yellow,  while  the  oil  is  of  a 
low  grade,  and  the  hide  is  quite  valueless.  But  it  is  the  main 
support  of  the  Esquimaux  far  to  the  north,  where  it  breeds 
upon  the  ice,  the  females  never  coming  dowu  to  the  Prybilov 
Grou]) : — only  males  are  to  be  seen  on  Walrus  Island. 

On  this  little  island  I  have  enjoyed  a  fine  opportunity  of 
studying  and  painting  these  uncouth  animals  from  life,  being 
able  to  easily  approach  to  within  a  slight  distance  from  the 
flanks  of  a  herd  of  over  five  hundred  walrus-bulls,  which  lay 
closely  packed  upon  a  low  series  of  basaltic  tables,  elevated  but 
little  from  the  surf-wash.  I  sat  upon  a  small  rocky  ledge  only 
a  few  feet  above  and  from  four  or  five  heavy  bulls,  being,  how- 
ever, on  the  leeward  side. 

I  was  surprised  to  observe  the  raw,  naked  appearance  of  the 
hide,  n  skin  covered  with  a  multitude  of  pustular-looking  warts 
and  pimples,  without  hair  or  fur,  deeply  wrinkled  with  dark 
red  venous  lines,  showing  out  in  bold  contrast  through  the 
thick,  yellowish-brown  cuticle,  which  seemed  to  be  scaling  off 
in  places,  as  if  with  leprosy.  They  struck  my  eye  at  first  in  a 
most  unpleasant  manner,  for  they  looked  like  bloated,  mortify- 
ing, shapeless  masses  of  flesh ;  the  clusters  of  swollen,  warty 
pimples,  of  a  yellow  parboiled  flesh-color,  over  the  shoulders 
and  around  the  neck  suggested  unwholesomeness  forcibly. 

This  walrus  is  sluggish  and  clumsy  in  the  water,  and  is  almost 


ALASKA.  161 

helpless  on  the  rocks  out  of  it,  and  can  no  more  move  on  land, 
like  even  the  lowest  of  the  seals,  P/toca,  than  can  the  hippopot- 
amus ran  with  the  antelope;  the  immense  bulk  and  weight 
compared  with  the  size  and  strength  of  its  limbs  renders  it 
(piite  impotent  for  terrestritil  movement.  Like  the  seal,  it 
t>wims  entirely  under  water  when  iraveling,  not  rising,  how- 
ever, quite  so  frequently  to  breathe;  then  it  "blows"  not  unlike 
a  whale.  On  a  cool,  quiet  morning  iu  ^lay,  I  watched  a  herd 
oft"  the  east  coast  of  the  island,  tracing  its  progress  by  the  tiny 
jets  of  vapor  thrown  off"  as  the  animals  rose  to  respire. 

The  adult  male  is  about  12  feet  in  length  from  nostrils  to  tip 
of  tail  and  has  10  or  13  feet  of  girth,  and  one  bull,  shot  by  the 
natives  on  Walrus  Island,  July  5, 1872,  was  nearly  13  feet  long, 
with  the  enormous  girth  of  11  feet.  Tlie  immense  mass  of 
blubber  on  the  shoulders  and  around  the  neck  makes  the  head 
and  posteriors  look  small  in  proportion  and  attenuated. 

The  strange  flattened  appearance  of  the  head  will  be  better 
understood  by  reference  to  the  plate,  where  the  nostrils,  eyes, 
and  ear-spots  seem  to  be  nearly  placed  on  top  of  the  head,  the 
nasal  apertures  especially  so,  opening  directly  over  the  muzzle, 
oval,  and  about  an  inch  in  their  greatest  diameter. 

The  tusks,  or  canines,  are  set  firmly  under  the  nostril-aper- 
tures, in  a  deep,  massive,  bony  pocket,  giving  a  broad,  square- 
cat  front  to  the  muzzle.  They  grow  down,  varying  in  size 
aud  "weight  from  8  or  10  inches  in  length  to  over  2  feet,  and 
from  five  pounds  to  fifteen,  usually  bowed  out  somewhat  in  the 
middle,  the  ends  approaching  quite  closely.  The  larger  tushes 
have  a  diameter  at  the  heel  of  a  little  more  than  2J  inches, 
tapering  down  to  less  than  half  an  inch  at  the  tip. 

The  upper  lips  are  thick  and  gristly,  fall  of  short,  stubbed, 
gray-white  bristles,  from  one-half  to  three  inches  long.  There 
are  a  few  bristles  set,  also,  on  the  chin  of  the  lower  jaw. 

The  eyes  are  small,  but  prominent,  placed  nearly  on  top  of 
the  head,  protrndiug  from  their  sockets  like  those  of  the  lob- 
ster. They  are  rolled  about  iu  every  direction  when  the  ani- 
mal is  startled.  The  iris  and  pupil  is  less  than  one-fourth  of 
the  exposed  surface;  the  sclerotic  coat  bulges  out  from  the 
lids,  and  is  of  a  dirty,  mottled  cotfee-yeliow  and  brown,  with 
an  occasional  admixture  of  white ;  the  iris,  light-brown,  with 
dark-brown  rays  and  spots.  The  animal  has  the  power  to  roll 
the  eyes  when  aroused,  seldom  moving  the  head  more  than  to 
elevate  it;  but  the  range  of  sight  out  of  water  is  not  well 
11  AL 


162  ALASKA. 

developed,  at  least,  for,  after  throwing-  small  chips  of  rock 
down  npoii  the  walrus-bulls  near  nie,  causing  only  a  stupid  stare 
aud  low  grunts  of  astonishment,  I  rose  gently  and  silently  to 
my  feet,  and  stood  boldly  up  before  them,  not  more  than  ten 
feet  away,  but  I  was  not  noticed  ;  had  I,  however,  given  them 
a  little  noise,  or  had  1  been  standing  hundreds  of  yards  away 
from  them,  to  the  windward,  they  would  have  taken  the  alarm 
instantly,  aud  tumbled  off  into  the  sea  like  so  many  hustled 
wool-sacks,  for  their  sense  of  smell  is  keen. 

The  ears  of  the  walrus  are  on  the  same  line  at  the  toj)  of  the 
lAsad  with  the  nostrils  and  eyes,  the  latter  being  midway 
between.  The  pavilion  is  a  slight  fleshy  wrinkle,  or  fold,  not 
at  all  raised  or  developed,  and  from  wliat  I  could  see  of  the 
meatus  externvs,  it  was  very  narrow  and  small,  but  they  are 
quick  and  sensitive  in  hearing. 

The  head  of  the  walrus  male,  full  grown,  is,  on  an  average, 
18  inches  long  between  the  nostrils  and  the  post-occipital 
region,  and  weighs  from  sixty  to  eighty  pounds.  I  can  only 
estimate  the  gross-weight  of  a  mature,  well-conditioned  bull  at 
two  thousand  pounds.  The  skin  alone  weighs  from  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty  to  four  hundred  pounds.  It  is  two  and  three 
inches  thick  on  the  shoulders  and  around  the  neck,  aud 
nowhere  less  than  half  an  inch  deep. 

It  feeds  exclusively  ui)on  shell-fish  {LameJUhranchiafa,  or 
clams,  principally)  and  the  bulbous  roots  of  certain  marine 
grasses  and  i)lants,  which  grow  in  great  abundance  in  the 
many  broad,  shallow  lagoons  aud  bays  of  the  mainland  coast. 
I  have  taken  from  the  paunch  of  a  walrus  over  a  bushel  of 
crushed  clams,  shells  and  all,  which  the  animal  had  but  re- 
cently swallowed,  since  digestion  had  scarcely  commenced. 
Many  of  the  clams  in  the  stomach  were  not  even  broken  ;  and 
it  is  in  digging  these  shell-fish  that  the  service  rendered  by  the 
enormous  tushes  becomes  evident. 

In  landing  and  climbing  over  the  low,  rocky  shelves  at  "  Mor- 
serovia,"  this  animal  is  almost  as  clumsy  aud  indolent  as  the 
sloth ;  the^'  crowd  np  from  the  water,  one  after  the  other,  in 
the  most  ungainly  manner,  accompanying  their  movements 
Avith  low  grunts  and  bellow! ngs;  the  first  one  up  from  the  sea  no 
sooner  gets  composed  upon  the  rocks  for  sleep  than  the  second 
one  comes  prodding  and  poking  with  its  blunted  tusks,  demand- 
ing room  also,  and  causing  the  first  to  change  its  position  to 
iinother  still  farther  off  from  the  watery  and  the  second  is  in 


ALASKA.  1G3 

funi  treated  in  the  same  Avay  by  tbe  tliinl,  and  so  on,  until 
hundreds  will  be  packed  together  on  the  shore  as  thickly  as 
they  can  lie,  frequently  pillowing  their  heads  or  posteriors 
upon  the  bodies  of  one  another,  and  not  at  all  quarrelsome  ;  as 
they  pass  all  the  time  when  on  land  in  sluggish  basking  or  deep 
sleep,  they  seem  to  resort  to  a  very  singular  method  of  keeping 
guard,  if  I  may  so  term  it,  for  iuthis  herd  of  three  or  four  hun- 
dred bulls  under  my  eye,  though  all  were  sleeping,  yet  the 
movement  of  one  would  disturb  the  other,  which  would  raise  its 
head  in  a  stupid  manner,  grunt  once  or  twice,  and  before  lying 
down  to  sleep  again,  in  a  few  moments,  it  would  strike  the 
slumbering  form  of  its  nearest  companion  with  its  tusks,  caus- 
ing that  animal  to  rouse  up  for  a  few  minutes  also,  grunt  and 
pass  the  blow  on  to  the  next  in  the  same  manner,  and  so  on, 
through  the  whole  herd;  this  disturbance  among  themselves 
always  kept  some  one  or  two  aroused,  and  consequently  more 
alert  than  the  rest. 

In  moving  on  land  they  have  no  power  in  the  hind  limbs, 
which  are  dragged  and  twitched  up  behind ;  progression  is 
slowly  and  tediously  made  by  a  succession  of  short  steps  forward 
on  the  fore  feet.  How  long  they  remain  out  from  the  water  at 
anyone  time  I  am  unable  to  say.  Unlike  the  seals,  they  breathe 
heavily  and  snore. 

The  natives  told  me  that  the  walrus  of  Bering  Sea  is 
monogamous,  and  that  the  difference  between  the  sexes  in  size, 
color,  and  shape  is  inconsiderable ;  that  the  female  brings  forth 
her  young,  a  single  calf,  in  June,  usually  on  the  ice-floes  in  the 
Arctic  Ocean,  above  Bering  Straits;  that  the  calf  closely 
resembles  the  parent  in  general  proportions  and  color,  but 
that  the  tusks  which  give  it  its  most  distinguishing  expression 
are  not  visible  until  the  end  of  the  second  year  of  its  life]  that 
the  walrus  mother  is  strongly  attached  to  her  offspring,  and 
nurses  it  later  in  the  season  in  the  sea  ;  that  the  walrus  sleeps 
profoundly  in  the  water,  floating  almost  vertically,  with  barely 
more  than  the  nostrils  above  water,  and  can  be  easily  ap- 
proached, if  care  is  taken,  to  within  easy  spearing-distauce ; 
that  the  bulls  do  not  fight  as  savagely  as  the  fur-seal  or  sea- 
lion,  the  blunted  tushes  of  the  combatants  seldom  penetrate 
the  thick  hide ;  that  they  can  remain  under  water  nearly  an 
hoiTr,  or  about  twice  as  long  as  the  seals,  and  that  they  sink 
like  so  many  stones  immediately  after  being  shot. 

These  animals  are  seldom  molested  on  Walrus  Island,  the 


164  ALASKA. 

natives  not  making  any  use  oi'  their  flesb,  fat,  or  bides  ;  and 
wbeu  tbey  are  sbot,  it  is  usually-  but  a  wanton  undertaking  by 
tbe  people  ^Ybile  visiting  tbe  island  in  June  and  July.  For  the 
purpose  of  getting  eggs,  tbe  natives  come  from  the  village  on 
Saint  Paul's  twice  or  thrice  every  j^ear,  and  only  at  this  season. 

As  tbe  females  never  come  down  to  the  Prybilov  Islands,  I 
have  not  had  an  opportunity  of  observing  them,  and  have  ia 
this  way  not  been  able  to  see  this  animal  as  well  as  I  could 
wish.  Tbe  reason  why  this  band  of  males,  many  of  them  old 
ones,  should  be  here  by  themselves  all  through  the  year  is  not 
plain  to  me;  the  natives  assure  me  that  the  females,  or  their 
young,  never  have  been  seen  around  the  shores  of  these  islands. 
Over  in  Bristol  Bay  great  numbers  of  walrus  congregate  ou 
the  sandy  bars  and  flats,  where  they  are  hunted  to  a  consider- 
able extent  for  their  ivory.* 

Prom  descriptions  of  undoubted  authority,  the  walrus  of  the 
iNOrth  Atlantic  is  a  much  smaller  animal  than  his  relative  in 
the  Pacific,  and  not  nearly  so  timid.  It  is  also  covered  with  a 
coat  of  short  brownish-gray  and  black  hair,  while  the  male  adult 
of  Bering  Sea  is  almost  entirely  naked.  The  skins  and  skele- 
tons of  the  two  animals  are  now  in  the  Smithsonian  collection. 

*  No  ■walrus  are  now  found  south  of  tbe  Aleutian  Islands,  but  not  more 
than  tbirty  or  tbirty-five  years  ago  small  numbers  of  these  animals  were 
killed  now  and  then  ou  islands  between  Kodiak  and  Oonemak  Pass.  Tbe 
greatest  number  of  them  south  of  the  arctic  circle  will  now  be  found  in 
Bristol  Bay  and  on  the  north  shore  of  tbe  peninsula. 

Tbe  finest  baidars  that  I  have  seen  in  this  country  were  the  skin-boats 
of  tbe  Saint  Lawrence  natives,  which  were  made  out  of  dressed  walrus- 
hides  sewed  with  sinews.  The  flesh  is  exceedingly  rank  in  taste  and  smell 
when  fresh,  and,  in  fact,  quite  as  offensive  to  tbe  civilized  palate  then  as 
when  putrid.  Tbe  natives  clean  the  small  intestine  and  drj-  it,  which  gives 
them  a  piece  of  light,  transparent  gut-j)archment,  over  a  hundred  feet  in 
length  and  five  to  six  inches  broad,  that  serves  admirably  as  material  for 
water-j)roof  coats  and  trousers ;  tbe  flipper-skin  makes  the  toughest  soles 
for  their  hair-seal  boots,  while  tbe  bide  itself  answers  for  all  styles  of  cord- 
afire. 


CHAPTER     VIII. 
FISH  AND  FISHERIES. 

THE  FISHERIES  OF   ALASKA. 

The  value  of  tlie  iuterests  in  the  Territory  classed  under  this 
liead  Las  beeu  greatly  overrated  by  writers,  who  have  created  an 
impression  that  there  are  extensive  banks  upon  "which  cod  may 
be  taken,  of  the  same  quality  and  with  the  same  success  that 
attends  the  labors  of  fishermen  on  the  Newfoundland  Banks. 
This  is  untrue ;  but  salmon,  herring,  and  halibut  are  abundant, 
the  salmon  being  the  most  valuable  fishing  interest,  and  only 
one  of  real  commercial  importance  on  the  whole  northwest 
coast. 

There  are  not  on  this  coast  the  variety  and  excellence  of  fish 
that  is  common  to  the  Atlantic  seaboard,  and  the  shad  and 
scup  runs  of  the  East  are  without  a  parallel  in  these  waters. 
There  are  but  few  species  here  that  have  an  economic  value  in 
regard  to  the  subsistence  of  the  natives,  from  Bering  Straits 
to  Dixon's  Sound,  viz:  the  salmon,  cod-fish,  sculpius  or  rock- 
cod,  {Sehastes,)  and  halibut.  Of  the  first,  there  is,  both  in 
quality  and  quantity,  enough  to  warrant  commercial  activity 
and  importance ;  of  the  second,  the  quantity  and  quality 
are  insufficient,  in  a  business  point  of  view,  i^rovided  even  the 
demand  was  always  equal  to  the  supply.  Halibut  might  be 
cured  in  a  small  vray;  but  the  rock-cod  and  sculpius  are  worth- 
less, except  to  the  Indians,  when  unable  to  procure  either 
salmon  or  cod ;  the  famous  ''  oolichan"  is  confined  to  the  Nasse 
River. 

These  fish  are  distributed  throughout  the  Territory  as  fol- 
lows ;  and  first  in  the  order  of  importance  is — 

1.  Salmon. — Almost  every  stream,  big  or  little,  that  empties 
into  the  sea  or  its  bays,  throughout  the  whole  Territory,  islands, 
and  mainland,  is  visited  at  regular  periods  by  one  or  more  spe- 
cies of  this  genus,  in  greater  or  less  numbers,  with  the  widest 
range  of  variation  in  quality ;  the  runs  of  this  fish  in  May  and 
June  up  the  large  rivers  in  this  Territory  being  enormous. 

During  the  last  ten  or  twelve  years  steps  have  been  taken  by 
competent  men  on  the  Frazer  River  antl  the  Columbia  to  util- 
ize and  turn  to  profit  these  great  runs  of  the  finest  fish;  but 
the  industry  of  salting  them  for  exportation  failed,  and  a  new 


166  ALASKA. 

business — that  of  canning  the  fish — ^^is  beuig  engaged  in  exten- 
sively on  the  Columbia  iiiver ;  and,  it  ^vould  seem,  with  a  fair 
profit,  capital  might  be  advantageously  employed  in  the  prose- 
cution of  salmon-canning  at  the  mouths  of  all  the  principal 
streams  in  this  country,  as  there  is  enough  of  the  raw  material 
to  employ  a  large  number  of  men  several  mouths  in  the  year  in 
its  i^reservatiou  and  i)rofitable  disposition  ;  and  I  see  no  reason 
why  this  industry  should  not  become  one  of  great  importance 
in  the  Territory. 

The  demand  for  canned  salmon  will  grow  in  proportion  as  it 
becomes  known,  for  it  is  a  superior  article  of  food,  either  i)lain 
as  it  comes  in  the  can,  or  pickled  quickly  after  opening. 

2.  Cod. — This  fish  is  the  most  widely  distributed  of  any  belong- 
ing to  the  waters  of  Alaska  or  the  North  Pacific  and  Bering  Sea. 
It  will  be  found  on  soundings,  wherever  a  hook  may  be  dropped 
in  Bering  Sea,  south  of  the  latitude  of  Saint  Lawrence  Island, 
all  around  the  Aleutian  Islands,  the  Alaskan  Peninsular,  Ko- 
diak,  and  becomes  scarce  and  fails  to  the  eastward  as  far  as 
Keuai  and  Copper  Eiver,  and  then  from  Sitka  and  Prince  of 
Wales  Island  to  Fort  Simpson,  where  it  is  only  caught  for  a  few 
weeks  in  the  year,  when  running  in  schools,  passing  usually  up 
toward  the  north. 

The  immense  area  frequented  by  this  fish  will  be  at  once 
appreciated  by  glancing  at  the  map  and  noting  the  soundings, 
which  show  that  nearly  the  whole  of  Bering  Sea  bountied  or 
staked  out  by  our  islands  is  a  single  great  bank,  and  that 
large  areas  south  of  the  Aleutian  Islands,  the  Peninsular,  and 
Kodiak,  are  shoaled  off  in  a  similar  manner.  Nevertheless,  the 
catch  and  quality  of  Alaskan  cod  is  much  inferior  to  our  east- 
ern fisheries. 

There  is  cod  enough,  however,  of  fair  quality,  to  supply"  the 
immediate  home-consumption  of  a  large  i)opulation,  should 
there  ever  be  such  in  the  history  of  the  Territory,  but  the  fish- 
ing-grounds are  not  valuable  enough  to  induce  capitalists  to 
engage  in  taking  and  curing  fish  for  exportation.  This  matter 
has  been  honestly  tested  by  experienced  fishermen,  who  have 
been  trained  on  the  eastern  banks,  and  is  therefore  beyond 
doubt.  At  present,  however,  in  securing  the  small  supply  re- 
quired by  local  demand,  the  characteristic  impatience  of  the 
people  of  this  coast  is  strikingly  shown;  for,  even  could  they 
sell  their  fish  caught  in  the  north  at  as  good  a  rate  as  that  of 
the  imported  stock,  they,  as  a  class,  would  be  dissatisfied  with 
the  small  i>rofits. 


ALASKA.  167 

The  coast-cod  average  in  this  Territory,  "from  tbe  knife," 
about  three  to  five  liouncls,  and  the  deep  or  outer  water  cod,  of 
the  same  species,  average  about  eight  or  ten,  but  they  are  not 
as  plentiful  as  the  smaller.  The  best  banks  in  the  Territory 
are  those  south  of  Unga  Island,  about  the  Shumagins  and 
south  of  Kodiak.    The  catch  is  best  off  Unga. 

3.  Halihid. — Found  throughout  the  Territory  on  soundings 
south  of  the  sixtieth  parallel  of  north  latitude.  Halibut  are 
quite  abundant  and  of  excellent  quality,  but  the  climate  is  such 
that  the  fishermen  cannot  properly  dry  or  cure  them  for  exporta- 
tion, even  in  small  cargoes.  They  are,  however,  not  abun- 
dant enough  for  exportation,  and  must  therefore  be  regarded 
as  only  of  local  importance. 

The  other  fish — roclc-cod,  sculpin,  ichite-Jish — peculiar  to  the 
rivers,  &c.,  which  are  found  along  the  coast  and  in  the  bays, 
and  estuaries,  possess  no  special  merit,  and  have  no  commer- 
cial importance,  but  they  are  valuable  factors  to  the  natives'^ 
existence. 

It  will  be  observed  that  the  waters  of  the  Territory  of  Alaska 
are  well  stocked  with  fish  for  home  use;  in  the  salmon  inter- 
ests, the  natural  wealth  is  great,  and  will  doubtless  be  utilized 
sooner  or  later  by  canning,  but  that  the  experiment  of  salting 
cod  and  salting  salmon  has  not  been  profitable  for  sale  in  the 
Australian,  Soutli  American,  and  even  in  our  own  market. 
There  are  twelve  to  thirteen  small  cod-fishing  vessels  that 
supply  the  San  Francisco  trade,  but  it  is  a  significant  fact 
that  out  of  this  number  nine  or  ten  deserted  the  Alaskan 
banks  last  season,  and  went  on  nearly  two  thousand  miles 
farther  into  the  Ochotsk  for  their  catch,  where  the  fish  are 
superior  in  quality  and  more  plentiful. 

It  will  not  be  untrue  to  assert,  from  what  is  now  known  in 
regard  to  the  fishing-interests  of  Alaska,  that  there  is  nothing 
there  that  can  be  considered  parallel  or  at  all  equal  to  the  runs 
of  cod,  scup,  shad,  and  mackerel  of  the  Xew  England  coast, 
save  the  periodic  visit  of  salmon,  which  come  in  truly  magnifi- 
cent number  and  condition. 

In  the  small  harbor  of  Woods's  Hole,  Mass.,  Professor  Baird 
caught  in  his  nets,  during  one  summer,  over  seventy  species  of 
food- fishes.  That  cannot  be  done  in  the  Xorth  Pacific,  no  matter 
when  or  where  the  naturalist  or  fisherman  may  choose  to  try. 
The  variety  and  number  of  piscatorial  life  in  this  region  is  poor 
indeed  when  compared  with  that  of  the  Xorth  Atlantic. 


CHAPTER    IX. 

OE>^ITHOLOGY  OF  THE  PEYBILOV  ISLA^^DS. 
By  Dk.  Elliott  Coues,  U.  S.  A. 

(Based  on  Mr.  H.  W.  EUioti's  maniiscr'n)(s  and  coUcctions.*) 

Mr.  Elliott's  manuscripts  and  specimens  having  been  sub- 
mitted to  me  for  elaboration  in  the  present  connection,  an 
account  of  the  birds  of  the  islands  is  lierewitli  rendered.  His 
collections  furnish  the  data  for  most  of  the  technical  portions 
of  the  memoir,  while  the  biographical  notices  are,  in  substance, 
his  own;  these  are  placed  between  quotation-marks.  The 
nomenclature  and  sequence  of  the  species  are  adapted  to  the 
present  paper  from  the  latest  systematic  work  upon  American 
ornithology,  the  author's  "  Key  to  ISTorth  American  Birds,"  in 
which  may  be  found  a  diagnosis  of  each  species  and  variety 
not  herewith  described.  The  numeral  prefix  of  each  species  is 
that  which  it  bears  in  the  authors  "Check-List  of  North  Amer- 
ican Birds." 

With  the  scientific  names  are  given  the  English,  and,  in  gen- 
eral, the  Eussian  equivalents — the  latter  between  quotation- 
marks.  In  most  cases  the  synonyms  and  references  of  special 
pertinence  are  added. 

GENERAL  REMARKS   OX   THE   BIRDS   OF   THE  ISLANDS. 

"While  a  few  species  of  water-fowl  come  to  these  islands  in 
innumerable  numbers  for  the  purpose  of  breeding,  yet  the  list 
of  birds  to  be  met  with  here  is  a  small  one.  It  is,  however,  of 
exceeding  interest  to  the  naturalist,  comprising  many  desiderata 
scarcely  obtainable  elsewhere. 

"Over  fifteen  miles  of  the  bold,  high,  basaltic,  bluff  shore- 
line of  Saint  George's  Island  is  fairly  covered  with  hundreds  of 
thousands   of  nesting  gulls  (Rissa)  and  arries,  {Uria,)  while 

*The  scientific  readers  of  this  report  will,  I  am  sure,  approve  of  the  refer- 
ence of  my  MSS.  to  Dr.  Coues  for  elaboration,  as  the  revision  of  synonomy 
lias  become  a  serious  matter  in  regardto  the  uomeuclature  of  natural  science, 
and,  already,  too  many  writers  have  added  to  existing  confusion  in  this 
respect  by  attempting  to  do  that  which  others  th;in  theuiselves  are  much 
better  qualified  for.  —II.  ^Y.  E. 


ALASKA.  1G9 

down  ill  the  countless  chinks  and  holes  over  the  entire  surface 
of  the  north  side  of  this  island  millions  of  '  chooch-kies'  {Simo- 
ritynchus  microceros)  breed,  filling  the  air  and  darkening  the 
light  of  day  with  their  cries  and  fluttering  forms.  On  Walrus 
Island  the  nests  of  the  great  white  gull  of  the  north  [Lams 
(jlancns)  can  be  visited  and  inspected,  as  well  also  as  those  of 
the  sea-parrot  or  puffin,  [Fratercula^]  shags  or  cormorants, 
{Gmcidus,}  and  the  red-legged  kittiwake,  {Lanis  hveviroHirh.) 
These  are  all  accessible  on  every  side,  affording  the  observer 
an  unequaled  opportunity  of  noticing  these  birds  through  the 
breeding-season,  from  its  beginning  in  ]May  until  the  end  in 
September. 

"  Not  one  of  the  water-birds  found  on  and  around  the  islands 
is  exempted  from  a  place  in  the  native's  larder;  even  the 
delectable  shags,  '  oreelie,'  are  unhesitatingly  eaten  by  the  peo- 
ple, and  indeed  furnish,  during  the  winter-season  especially, 
an  almost  certain  source  of  supply  for  fresh  meat.  The  large, 
gaily-colored  eggs  of  the  '  arrie'  {Lomvia  arra)  are  gathered  in 
June  and  July,  without  stint,  for  use,  and  might  be  packed 
away  in  lime-water  by  the  barrel,  so  as  to  keep  through  the 
year,  if  any  provident  or  thoughtful  action  was  taken  in  the 
matter.  Walrus  Island  would  alone  supply  the  whole  demand 
from  year  to  year.  On  the  occasion  of  my  visit  there,  July  5, 
1872,  six  men  loaded  a  bidarrah,  capable  of  carrying  four  tons, 
exclusive  of  crew,  down  to  the  water's  edge  with  eggs,  in  less 
than  three  working-hours. 

"During  the  winter-months  the  birds  are  almost  wholly 
absent.  They  begin  to  make  their  first  appearance,  in  any 
number,  for  the  season,  early  in  May,  and  by  the  middle  or  end 
of  September  the  great  body  of  the  millions  that  have  bred 
during  this  time  go  to  sea,  and  are  not  again  noted,  save  a  few 
stragglers  now  and  then,  until  they  re-assemble  next  May,  for 
the  repetition  of  their  reproductive  processes.  The  stress  of 
severe  weather  in  the  winter-months,  driving  snow-storms,  and 
floating  ice-floes  brought  down  from  the  nortb,  which  shut  the 
islands  in,  still,  cold,  and  quiet,  are  cause  enough  for  the  dis- 
appearance of  the  water-fowl. 

"  The  position  of  the  islands  is  such  as  to  lie  somewhat  out- 
side of  the  migratory  path  pursued  by  the  birds  on  the  mainland, 
and,  owing  to  this  reason,  they  are  only  visited  by  a  few  strag- 
glers from  that  quarter,  and  also  from  the  Asiatic  side.     One 


170  .  ALASKA. 

species,  {Strejysilas  infcrpyes,)  however,  comes  here  every  sum- 
mer, for  three  or  four  weeks'  staj",  iu  great  uamber,  and  gets 
so  fat  iu  feediug  upou  the  hirvte.  fouud  ou  the  killiug-grouuds 
that  it  often  bursts  open  when  it  falls,  after  being  shot  on  the 
wing.  Our  robin  (T.  migraiorius)  was  seeu  by  myself,  near 
Saint  Paul's  Village,  one  cool  morning  in  October,  (the  15th,) 
and  the  natives  told  me  that  it  had  been  noticed  before  in  this 
way,  never  staying  more  than  a  few  days  or  a  week,  and  being- 
brought  there,  undoubtedly,  by  some  storm  or  gale  of  wind 
taking  it  up  and  off  from  its  path  over  the  mainland.  In  the 
same  mauner  hawks,  owls,  and  numerous  strange  water-fowl 
visit  the  islands,  but  never  remain  there  long. 

"  The  Ivussiaus  tried  the  experiment  of  bringing  up  from  Sitka 
and  Ounahishka  a  number  of  ravens,  with  the  view  of  stimu- 
lating them  to  live  and  breed  upon  these  islands,  where  they 
would  be  almost  invaluable  as  scavengers;  but  the  birds  inva- 
riably, sooner  or  later,  and  within  a  short  time,  took  flight  for 
the  mainland  or  the  Aleutian  Islands.  At  the  time  of  present 
writing  the  Alaska  Commercial  Company  have  sent  up  to  the 
village  of  Saint  Paul's  a  number  of  domestic  pigeons,  and  the 
experiment  will  be  tried  with  them. 

"  The  natives  have  always,  and  still  do,  keep  a  small  number 
of  chickens ;  and,  where  poultry  is  taken  into  the  winter  living- 
rooms  of  these  people,  they  get  return  in  eggs.  But  the  main- 
tenance of  a  hennery,  owing  to  the  long  season  of  cold,  stormy 
weather,  compelling  the  chickens  to  hunt  shelter  for  weeks  at 
a  time,  is  impracticable,  regarded  with  a  view  of  profitable 
recompense  for  time  and  care. 

"Walrus  Island  is  the  most  favorable  spot,  in  this  whole 
Alaskan  country,  to  observe  the  nesting  and  breeding  birds  of 
Beriug  Sea.  It  is  a  low,  lava  rock,  seven  miles  to  the  east- 
ward of  Northeast  Point,  with  au  area  of  less  than  five  acres, 
rugged  and  bare  of  all  vegetation,  save  a  species  of  close-grow- 
ing curly  grass.  Here  the  Lomvia  arra  and  many  gulls,  cor- 
morants, sea-parrots,  and  auks  come  to  lay  their  eggsiu  count- 
less numbers.  The  face  and  brow  of  the  low,  cliff-like  sea-front 
are  occupied  almost  exclusively  by  the  '  arries,'  {Lomvia  arra,) 
which  lay  a  single  egg  each,  on  the  surface  of  the  bare  rock, 
and  stand  straddling  over  it  while  hatching,  only  leaving  at 
irregular  and  short  intervals  to  feed.  Hundreds  of  thousands 
of  these  birds  alone  are  thus  engaged  aljout  the  29th  of  June 


ALASKA.  171 

on  this  little  island,  stinuling  stacked  up  togetbei-  like  so  many 
bottles,  as  thickly  as  they  can  be  stowed,  making  all  the  time 
a  deep,  low,  hoarse,  grunting  noise.  They  quarrel  among 
themselves  incessantly,  and  in  this  way  roll  thousands  of  eggs 
ott"  into  the  sea,  or  into  crevices  and  fissures,  where  they  are 
lost  and  broken.  ^ 

"The  'arrie'  lays  but  one  egg.  If  this  is  removed  or  broken, 
she  will  soon  lay  another;  but,  if  undisturbed  after  depositing 
the  first,  she  undertakes  the  hatching  at  once.  The  size,  shape, 
and  coloration  of  this  egg  are  exceedingly  variable.  A  largo 
proportion  of  the  eggs  become  so  dirty,  by  rolling  here  and 
there  in  the  excremeut  while  the  birds  tread  and  quarrel  over 
them,  as  to  be  almost  unrecognizable.  The  shell  is  very  tough, 
and  the  uatives,  when  gathering  them,  fill  tubs,  baskets,  &c.,. 
on  the  cliffs,  carry  them  down  to  the  general  heap  collected 
near  the  boats'  landing,  and  pour  them  out  upon  the  rocks  with 
a  single  flip  of  the  hand,  just  as  a  basket  of  apples  would  be 
emptied ;  and,  after  this,  they  are  again  quite  as  carelessly 
handled  when  loaded  into  the  'bidarrah,' sustaining  through  it 
all  very  little  injury. 

''The  small  grassy  interior  of  the  island,  which  is  sharply 
margined  by  the  surrounding  breeding- belt  of'arries'on  the 
shore-line,  is  the  only  place,  I  believe,  in  this  sea  where  the 
great  white  gull  {Lams  glaucus)  breeds.  Among  the  little 
grassy  tussocks  here,  it  builds  a  nest  of  dry  grass,  sea-ferns, 
«S:c.,  very  nicely  laid  up  and  rounded,  and  in  which  it  lays  usu- 
ally thee  eggs,  sometimes  only  a  couple  ;  in  exceptional  instances 
I  have  seen  four.  These  big  gulls  could  not  bi-eed  on  either  of 
the  other  islands  in  this  manner,  for  the  foxes  there  would  have 
the  upper  hand  instantly ;  and  the  bird  is  too  large  to  settle 
on  the  narrow  shelf-ledges  of  the  cliffs,  like  the  smaller  gulls 
and  other  water-fowls. 

"  The  red-legged  kittiwake,  [Larus  hreviyostris,)  and  its  cousin. 
Lams  ti'kJactijhis,  build  in  the  most  amicable  manner  together 
on  the  faces  of  the  cliffs,  associated  with  cormorants,  sea-par- 
rots, and  auks,  all  together,  and,  with  the  exception  of  the 
latter,  the  nests  are  easy  of  access. 

"As  we  land,  the  '  arries'  fly  from  their  eggs  off  and  around 
for  a  short  distance,  and  then  settle  down  into  the  sea  in  platoons 
or  files,  swaying  hither  and  thither  with  the  movement  of  swell 
and  tide,  trailed  out  over  the  water  like  great  whip-lashes. 


172  ALASKA. 

Watch  a  boat  as  it  approaches  one  of  these  swimming-  pha- 
lanxes and  alarms  it ;  out  the  birds  sprawl,  half  swimming  and 
half  flying,  making  a  noise  like  a  shower  of  hail-stones  falling 
npon  a  roof,  as  the  scare  spreads  from  bird  to  bird,  nntil  the 
whole  vast  flock  is  beating-  the  water  with  a  hnndred  thousand 
wings  in  almost  vain  endeavor  to  rise  from  the  calm  surface, 
for  these  birds  in  still  weather  have  great  difticulty  in  taking- 
flight.  They,  however,  succeed  well  and  quickly  when  heavy 
swells  or  little  wavelets  lift  them.  A  gull,  on  the  contrary,  rises 
gracefnlly  and  easily  from  the  water,  and,  indeed,  is  the  most 
attractive  bird  on  the  wing  of  all  water-fowl." 

"  I  have  time  after  time  been  struck  by  the  wonderful  temer- 
ity of  the  foxes,  (on  Saint  George's  Island  especially,)  while 
secretly  watching  them  as  they  were  climbing  up  and  down 
the  faces  of  almost  inaccessible  cliifs,  seeking-  eggs.  They  go 
on  a  full  run  or  a  stealthy  tread  over  the  brows  of  cliftsthat 
fairly  overhang  the  sea  six  and  nine  hundred  feet  below.  They 
always  bring  the  eggs  up  in  their  mouths,  and  carry  them  back 
from  the  brink  of  the  precipice,  where  they  leisurely  suck  them, 
usuallj'  biting  the  shell  out  at  the  large  end.  The  '  arrie'  suffers 
the  most  from  these  enemies,  which  are  the  only  natural  foes 
that  the  bird-kind  has  to  contend  with  on  these  solitary  isl- 
ands." 

1.     Tiis'dws  iBiigratoriHS,  Lixx. — Bohh).    "Eap-o-loof." 

Casual,  aud  rarely  seen;  never  resident.  (Spec,  October, 
1872.) 

"  I  was  most  agreeably  surprised,  one  cool  morning-  early  in 
October,  while  walking  up  on  the  Village  Hill,  Saiut  Paul's 
Island,  to  see  a  robin,  a  red-breasted  robin,  silent  and  gloomy, 
hopping  and  fluttering  before  me.  It  had  evidently  been 
brought  to  the  island  by  the  gale  which  blew  two  days  pre- 
viously, and  was  even  now  casting'  about  for  a  good  chance  to 
leave.  In  order  that  I  might  observe  the  length  of  time  this  old 
friend  of  mine  would  stay  with  us,  I  did  not  shoot  him,  but 
strolled  out  to  the  locality  every  morning  and  evening  until  the 
end  of  the  third  day,  when  I  missed  him.  The  natives  recognized 
it  as  a  chance  visitor,  though  seen  almost  every  year  in  this 
manner.  Two  weeks  later  I  observed  a  small  flock  of  JEgioini, 
(red  polls,)  which  were  passing-  over  the  island,  alighting-  here 
and  there  to  feed.  They  are  regularly  seen  migrating  to  the 
southward  every  fall." 


ALASKA.  173 

50rt.    Aiioi'tliiira   frojflodytcs  var.  alascoiisis,  (Bd.)    Coues. — 
AlaxkdH  Winter  ll'nn.     ''  Limiiici-sbiii." 
Troglodytes  aJascentiis,  Baikd.    Trans.  C'Licago  Acad.,  i,  315,  pi.  30, 

fif?.  3,  (1869.)    Saint  George's  Is. 
Anorthura  alascensis,  Coues.    Key  N.  A.  Birds,  87,  (1872.) 
Jtiorthura  troglodytes  var.  alascensis,  Cocks.     Ibid.,  351. 
Trofjlodytes  Iiycinalis  var.   alascensis,  Dall.    Proc,   Cala.  Acad. 

Sci.,  (.Feb.  8,  1873.) 

This  interesting  local  form  of  Anorthura  differs  from  the  ordi- 
nary Xortli  American  bird  in  its  superior  size  and  darker  brown, 
colors,  and  in  the  much  greater  length  and  caliber  of  the  bill. 
In  young  birds  the  difference  is  less  strongly  marked.  The 
dimensions  of  an  adult  in  Mr.  Elliott's  collection  are  as  fol- 
lows :  bill,  along  cnlmen,  .58  ;  wing,  1.90  ;  tail,  1.30 ;  tarsus,  .62 ; 
middle  toe  and  claw,  .04.  The  corresponding  dimensions  of  an 
average  specimen  of  var.  hyemalis  are:  .30,  1.80,  1.1*0,  .02,  .58. 

"  This  brave  little  bird  was  first  brought  into  notice  by  Mr. 
Dall,  who  collected  a  single  specimen  while  on  the  island  in 
1808,  and  sent  it  to  the  Smithsonian  Institution.  In  his  brief 
note  accompanying  it  he  speaks  of  its  being  abundant  there, 
while  I,  in  1873,  shot  almost  every  one  that  I  saw,  and  j-et  at  the 
end  of  the  season,  August  4,  1  had  but  seven  specimens.  It 
was  seldom  seen,  but  then  again  in  1874:  they  were  quite 
numerous. 

"  It  is  not  a  migratory  bird,  but  remains  permanently  upon 
the  island.  Its  nest  is  built  in  small,  deep  holes  and  crevices 
in  the  cliffs.  I  have  not  myself  seen  it,  but  the  natives  say  that 
it  lays  from  eight  to  ten  eggs,  in  a  nest  made  of  soft,  dry  grass 
and  feathers,  roofed  over,  with  an  entrance  at  the  side  to  the 
nest-chamber,  thus  being  of  elaborate  construction. 

"  The  male  is  very  gay  during  the  period  of  mating  and  incu- 
bation, flying  incessantly  from  plant  to  plant  or  rock  to  rock, 
singing  a  rather  shrill  and  very  loud  song,  and  making,  for  a 
small  bird,  a  great  noise. 

"I  shot  the  young,  fully  fledged,  on  the  28th  of  July,  differ- 
ing only  from  the  parent  in  having  a  much  shorter  bill,  and  in 
a  general  darker  and  more  diffuse  coloration. 

"Although  Saint  Paul's  Island  is  but  twenty-seven  miles  to 
the  northwest  from  Saint  George's,  not  a  single  specimen  of  this 
little  wren  has  been  seen  there.  I  made,  during  the  whole  sea- 
son of  1872,  unavailing  search  for  it. 

"  The  native  name, '  limmer-shin,'  signifies  a  '  chew  of  tobacco,' 


174  ALASKA. 

and  is  given  on  account  of  the  resemblance  of  this  wee  biid  in 
size  and  color  to  a  tobacco-quid." 

Mr.  W.  H.  Dall  found  this  species  to  be  resident  and  abun- 
dant on  the  rocky  clitfs  of  Ainaknak  Island,  Ouualashka,  where, 
he  says.  "  it  is  quite  familiar  and  bold.  It  builds  in  the  crevices 
of  the  rocks,  but  I  was  not  able  to  find  the  nest.  It  has  a 
cheerful  and  melodious  note,  and  is,  to  some  extent,  gregarious, 
three  or  four  being  usually  seen  together.  It  was  not  seen  in 
tbe  Shumagins,  though  it  may  occur  there.'- 

144rt.     Leucosticte    tepSiiocotss    vai.    grisciBiuelia,     (Bp.dt.) 

CoUES. — Gray-eared  Finch.     '•  Pabtosbkie." 
Linaria  griseiniicha,  Bijaxdt.     "  Oru.  Eoss.,  (1842.)  " 
Leueosticte  griseinucha,  Bp.     Consp.  At.,  i,  537,  (1850.)— Bp.  et 

ScHLEGEL.    Mouog.  Loxiem  5,  pJ.  xli,  (youug,)  (18.50.)— Bd.  B. 

N.  Amer.,  430,  (18.56.)— D.\ee  et  Banx.    Trans.  Chicago  Acad,  i, 

282,  (1869.)— Coop,   B.  Cal.  i,   IGl,  (1870.)— Dale,  Pr.  Cala. 

Acad.,  (Feb.,  1873.) 
Leueosticte  teplirocotis  var.  griseiunclia,  CouES.    Key,  130,  fig.  77, 

(1872.) 
Leueosticte  griseogemjs,  Gould.  •  P.  Z.  S.,  104,  (1843,)  aud  Yoy. 

Sulpbixr,  i,  42,  pi.  xxii,  (1844.) 
Leueosticte  littoratis,  Bd.     Trans.  Cbicago  Acad.,  i,  317,  pi.  xxviii, 

fig.  1,  (1869.)— Coop.    B,  Cala.   i,   103,  (1869.)— Ball.  Proc. 

Cala.  Acad.,  (Feb.,  1873.) 
Leueosticte  teplirocoiis  var.    VdtoraVis,  CouES.     Key,  130,  (1372.) 

{Cf.,  ibid,  352.) 

Numerous  beautiful  specimens  of  the  adults  of  both  sexes  in 
high  breeding  attire,  aud  others  illustrating  the  earliest  plu- 
mage of  the  young,  are  in  the  collection.  There  are  no  appre- 
ciable outward  distinctions  of  sex.  The  bill  at  tliis  season  is 
black,  the  ash  and  black  of  the  head  are  pure  aud  well  defined, 
the  chocolate  brown  is  rich,  and  the  rosy  tends  to  crimson. 
The  very  young  birds  are  dark,  sooty  gray,  overlaid  with  brown ; 
a  lighter  aud  more  rusty  shade  of  the  same  edges  the  wing- 
feathers,  and  the  bill  is  in  part  light  colored. 

Although  this  form  is  much  larger  than  typical  tejihrocoiis, 
and  otherwise  different  in  the  xnctura  of  the  head,  we  do  not 
find  ourselves  enabled  to  separate  it  specifically,  since  numer- 
ous intermediate  specimens  attest  its  intergradation  with  the 
former.  Xor  do  we  find  it  necessary  to  distinguish  the  slight 
variety,  UttomUs,  by  name ;  we  refer  it  to  var.  griseinucha,  con- 
sidering both  forms  as  the  single  arctic  representative  of  tcphro- 
cotis  proper. 

"This  agreeable  little  bird,  always  cheerful  aud  self-pos- 


ALASKA.  175 

sessod,  is  a  regular  and  perinaiieiit  settler  on  the  islands,  which 
it  never  leaves.  In  the  dejHh  of  dismal  winter,  as  well  as  on  a 
summer's  da}',  the  pahtoshkie  greets  yon  with  the  same  pleasant 
chirrup,  wearing  the  same  neat  dress,  as  if  determined  to  make 
the  best  of  everything.  It  is  particularly  abundant  on  Saint 
George's,  where  its  habits  may  be  studied  to  best  advantage. 

"The  pahtoshkie  nests  in  a  chink  or  crevice  of  the  clifls, 
building  a  warm,  snug  home  for  its  little  ones  of  dried  grasses 
and  moss,  very  neatly  put  together,  and  lined  with  a  few 
feathers.  The  eggs  vary  in  number  from  three  to  six,  being 
generally  four.  They  are  pure  white,  with  a  delicate  rosy  blush 
when  fresh  ;  and  measure  .97  by  .67  inch.  The  young  break  the 
shell  at  the  expiration  of  twenty  or  twenty-two  days'  incubation, 
the  laborof  which  is  uotsharedby  themale,who,  however,  brings 
food  to  his  mate,  singing  the  while,  as  if  highly  elated  by  his 
prospects  of  paternity.  The  chicks,  at  first,  are  sparsely  cov- 
ered with  a  sprinkling  of  dark-gray  down,  and  in  two  or  three 
weeks  gain  their  feathers,  fitting  them  for  flight,  although  they 
do  not  acquire  the  bright  rosy  hues  and  rich  brown  of  the 
])arents  the  first  year.  Between  the  old  birds  there  is  no  out- 
ward dissimilarity  according  to  sex,  the  male  and  female  being 
exactly  alike  in  size,  shape,  and  coloration. 

"  They  feed  upon  various  seeds  and  insects,  as  well  as  the 
larvse  which  swarm  on  the  killing-grounds.  They  are  fearless 
and  confiding,  fluttering  in  the  most  familiar  manner  around 
the  village  huts.  In  the  summer  of  1873,  a  pair  built  their 
nest  and  reared  a  brood  under  the  eaves  of  the  old  Greek  church 
at  Saint  George's. 

"The  nests,  of  which  I  collected  fifteen  or  twenty,  are  very 
neatly  made  np  of  dry  grass  and  moss,  thick,  and  compactly 
interwoven,  placed  on  the  faces  of  the  basaltic  and  breccia  clifls 
which  rise  from  the  shore-line  of  the  islands.  These  disinte- 
grating tufa  and  breccia  bluffs  afford  a  thousand  and  one  little 
pockets  and  crannies  in  which  the  pahtoshkie  builds,  secure 
from  molestation  by  prowling  foxes.  It  has  no  song,  but  ntters 
a  low,  mellow  chirp,  alike  either  when  fl:\ing  or  sitting.  It  is 
most  abnndaut  on  Saiut  George's,  where  hundreds  may  be  seen 
at  any  time  during  a  short  walk  along  tlie  north  shore.  It  con- 
sorts in  pairs  throughout  the  year,  never  going  iu  flocks,  and 
seldom  flying  or  feeding  alone." 

]Mr.  W.  H.  Ball  remarks  upon  the  abundance  of  the  bird  on 
the  Aleutians  as  well  as  on  the  Prybilov  Islands.     In  August, 


176  ALASKA. 

he  says,  it  Las  uo  soug,  "  except  a  clear  cliirp,  sonndiag  like 
'weet-a-w^et-a-wee-weet.'  It  was  on  the  wing  a  great  part  of 
the  time,  avoiding  alighting  on  the  gronnd,  but  darting  rapidly 
in  a  series  of  ascending  and  descending  curves,  now  swinging 
on  the  broad  top  of  an  umbelliferous  plant,  now  alighting  on 
some  ledge  of  the  perpendicular  cliff,  jumping  from  point  to 
poiut,  seemingly  delighted  in  testing  its  own  agility."  He 
found  it  particularly  numerous  in  Ounalashka,  where  it  is  resi- 
dent. A  nest,  which  he  discovered  May  24,  contained  live 
white  eggs,  fresh  ;  it  was  placed  in  a  crevice  of  a  rocky  bauk,. 
about  twelve  feet  above  the  beach,  and  was  neatly  built  of 
grasses,  lined  with  a  few  feathers. 

V>2.    Pleclropliaiies  nivalis,  (L.)  Meyer. — S)ioiv  Hunting.     "  Sua- 
guiskie." 

Among  Mr.  Elliott's  many  specimens  in  pure  black  and 
white  attire  are  a  few,  in  the  earliest  plumage  of  the  young, 
probably  never  seen  in  the  United  States.  The  general  color 
is  gray,  overlaid  slightly  with  a  light-brown  cast,  the  inter- 
scapular feathers  having  a  dusky  center.  The  gray  fades  on 
the  breast  into  dull  whitish,  which  occupies  tbe  rest  of  the 
under  parts.  Most  of  the  secondary  quills  are  white,  with  a 
dusky  touch  on  the  outer  webs ;  the  three  inner  ones,  however, 
are  black,  with  broad,  chestnut-brown  edging.  Three  lateral 
tail-feathers  are  mostly  white. 

"  The  snow-bird  is  another  permanent  resident  of  these 
islands,  but  one  which,  unlike  the  Lcucosticfe,  is  rather  shy  and 
retiring,  nesting  high  on  the  rocky,  broken  uplands,  and  only 
entering  the  village  during  unusually  severe  or  protracted  cold 
weather. 

"  The  snaguiskie  builds  an  elegant  and  elaborate  nest  of 
soft,  dry  grass,  and  lines  it  warmly  with  a  thick  bed  of  feathers. 
It  is  placed  on  the  ground,  beneath  some  lava-slate,  or  at  the 
foot  of  a  bowlder.  Five  eggs  are  usually  laid,  about  the  1st  of 
Junef  they  are  an  inch  long  by  two-thirds  broad,  of  a  grayish 
or  greenish  white,  spotted  sometimes  all  over,  sometimes  at  or 
around  the  larger  end  only,  with  various  shades  of  rich,  dark- 
brown,  iiurplish-brown,  and  paler  neutral  tints.  Sometimes 
the  whole  surface  is  quite  closely  clouded  with  diffuse  reddish- 
brown  markings. 

"  The  female  assumes  the  entire  labor  of  the  three  weeks' 
incubation  required  for  the  maturing  of  the  embryos.     During. 


ALASKA.  177 

this  period  the  male  is  assiduous  in  bringiug  food,  and,  at  fre- 
(jueut  iutervals,  siugs  liis  simple  but  sweet  song,  rising,  as  he 
begins  it,  bigU  up  iu  the  air,  as  the  skylark  does  when  caroling, 
and,  with  the  end  of  the  stave,  drop[)ing  suddenly  to  the 
ground  again.  The  young  are  early  i)rovided  with  a  gray 
downy  coating,  which  is  speedily  replaced  by  a  i)lumage  resem- 
bling that  of  the  adult  female,  and,  in  less  than  four  weeks 
from  the  day  of  hatching,  the  little  snaguiskie  is  as  big  as  its 
parents,  and  weighs  more. 

"  The  food  of  this  species  consists  of  the  various  seeds  and 
insects  peculiar  to  the  rough,  higher  grounds  it  frequents.  It 
never  flies  about  iu  flocks,  and  at  this  season  cannot  be  called 
gregarious,  like  the  Lai)laud  longspur,  wit'Ii  which  it  is  asso- 
ciated on  these  islands." 

153.     Plecti'oplianes  lappoiiiciis,   (L.)  Selby. — Lapland  Longspur^ 
■■  Karesch-uavie  .suaguiskie."' 

We  give  a  description  of  the  breeding-plumage  of  the  female, 
probablj'  not  generally  known :  Upper  parts  of  the  body, 
wings,  and  tail  almost  precisely  as  in  the  male.  Cervical  collar 
evident,  but  not  sharply  defined,  nor  so  rich  in  color.  Black  of 
the  crown  variegated  with  pale  tips  of  the  feathers ;  white  of  the 
supra-ocular  and  post-auricular  lines  tinged  with  bufi";  no  con- 
tinuous pure  black  on  the  sides  of  the  head,  chin,  or  throat; 
sides  of  the  head  blacki.sh,  interrupted  with  grayish  auriculars ;. 
throat  similarly  varied,  but  chin  left  nearly  pure  white,  the 
pattern  of  the  black  which  occurs  in  the  male  being  thus  clearly 
indicated,  but  interrupted  and  obscured ;  sides  of  the  breast  and 
belly  with  disconnected,  sparse,  sharp,  slender,  dark-brown 
streaks,  instead  of  the  jiure  black,  continuous,  broad  and 
heavy  stripes  of  the  male;  other  under  parts  as  in  the  male.  Bill 
obscure  yellowish,  dusky  at  tip  ;  feet  dark  brown,  but  not  black. 
Dimensions  slightly  inferior  to  those  of  the  male. 

The  eggs  of  the  Lapland  longspur  are  extremely  variable  in 
coloration — few  more  so.  They  range  from  a  nearly  uniform 
dark  chocolate-brown,  (much  like  those  of  a  marsh-wren,) 
through  a  lighter  chocolate  in  innumerable  dots  on  a  grayish- 
brown  ground,  to  a  peculiar  browni.sh-white  ground,  variously" 
clouded  and  smirched  with  chocolate,  and  having,  besides, 
irregular  sharp  spots,  scratches,  and  straggling  lines  of  black- 
ish brown.  The  general  aspect  of  these  eggs  is  like  that  of  an 
oriO'e's  or  blackbird's.     They  measure  .80  to  .00  in  length  by 

12  AL 


]  78  ALASKA 

.55  to  .60  in  breadth.  The  labels  of  various  specimens  before 
us  from  Acetic  ximerica  record  a  nest  of  "  hay," lined  with  deers' 
hair,  or  feathers. 

"  The  longspur,  a  resident  bird,  is  a  delightful"  vocalist,  sing- 
ing all  through  the  mouth  of  June  iu  the  most  charming  man- 
ner, rising  high  in  the  air,  and  hovering  on  Hutteriug  wings 
over  its  setting  mate.  The  song  is  only  too  short,  lasting  but 
a  few"  moments,  though  continually  repeated.  The  bird  is  much 
more  shy  and  reserved  than  the  common  snaguiskie,  rarely 
entering  the  village.  It  is  most  abundant  on  Saint  Paul's, 
where,  unlike  the  snowflake,  it  seeks  the  low,  grassy  grounds, 
both  for  food  and  nesting,  being  never  found  among  the  rough 
bowlders  chosen  for  a  home  b^'  the  other  species  of  Plectro- 
plianes. 

"  Two  nests  which  I  found  were  built  in  tussocks  of  grass,  on 
a  low  'hummocky '  flat,  between  the  village  and  the  main  ridge 
of  Saint  George's,  sheltered  and  half  concealed  beneath  a  dra- 
pery of  withered  grass.  In  each  case  the  mother-bird  did  not 
fly  away  till  I  almost  stepped  on  the  nest,  when  she  quickly 
disappeared,  in  perfect  silence.  One  nest  contained  four,  and 
the  other  five  eggs,  rather  smaller  than  a  snowfiake's,  and  of  a 
rich,  gray-brown  color,  with  deep  shades  of  brown  running 
over  them  in  spots  and  suffused  lines. 

"These  nests  were  not  discovered  until  the  7th  of  July,  at  which 
date  the  eggs  in  both  were  perfectly  fresh.  They  were,  proba- 
bly, not  laid  until  about  the  end  of  June.  The  young  appear 
in  the  same  manner  as  those  of  P.  nivalis.  The  males  do  not 
assume  the  distinctive  coloration  of  their  sex  nntil  the  next 
season.  The  natives  say  that  very  severe  weather  sometimes 
drives  these  birds  away,  although  the  other  Plectro2)hanes  is 
never  forced  to  leave." 

226.     Corvus  corax,  L. — Ilanu.  "  Yar-roue." 

As  noted  in  Mr.  Elliott's  general  rutroduction,  the  experi- 
ment of  introducing  ravens  was  unsuccessfully  tried  by  the  Rus- 
sians. 

"The  natives  still  claim  that  if  a  number  of  young  birds  were 
brought  here  and  raised,  they  couk>  be  induced  to  remain  upon 
the  islands  during  the  whole  season  ;  that  the  failure  to  keep 
those  ravens  brought  up  from  Ounalashka,  several  years  agOj 
was  due  to  the  fact  of  their  being  old  birds. 

"At  Ounalashka  there  is  a  Greek  Catholic  church,  with  a 
small  cupola,  surmounted,  as  is  usual,  by  a  large  crucifix.     Upon 


i 


ALASKA.  179 

this  rbese  ill-omened,  croaking  birds  perch  at  all  hours  of  the 
day,  defiling  the  cross  and.  tinned  dome-roof  below  them,  with- 
out exciting  the  slightest  sense  of  the  ridiculous  or  impropriety 
among  the  people  there,  the  stranger  only  being  amused."' 

;541.    Faico  sacer,  YonsT.—Gi/rfalcon. 

Fa'co  sacer,  Forst.  Phil.  Traus.  Ixxii,  423,  (1772.) — Baird. 
Trans.  Chicago  Acad,  i,  271,  (1869.) — Couiis.  Key  X.  A.  Birds, 
2i:'.,  (1872. 

Finding  nothing  definite  in  Mr.  Elliott's  manu.scripts  respect- 
ing this  bird,  we  conclude  that  it  does  not  reside  on  the  islands, 
where,  however,  its  casual  presence  is  attested  by  a  specimen  in 
the  collection  labeled  "  Saint  Paul's,  March,  '73."  It  is  a  young 
bird,  ap])arently  in  its  second  year,  whicli  had  doubtless  wan- 
dered or  been  forced  out  of  its  usual  way. 

However  we  may  interpret  the  relation  subsisting  between  the 
various  forms  of  Hierqfalco,  the  name  Falco  sacer  (Forst.)  is 
specially  pertinent  to  the  present  one,  and  has  priority  over  the 
several  designations  more  frequently  employed. 

"  Hawks,  like  owls,  are  occasionally  seen  on  the  islands,  the 
latter  during  the  winter,  especially.  They  do  not  remain  long, 
and  never  breed,  although  the  natives  on  Saint  George's  stoutly 
assert  that  a  '  small  brown  owl'  breeds  there.  I  made  unavail- 
ing search  for  it."    Very  probably  the  hawk-owl,  {Surnia  idula.) 

.'J96.    Cliaradrius  fulvits,  Gm.— Golden.  Plover. 

Charadrius  fulvus,  Gm.     Syst.  Nat.,  i,  687,  (1788.) 

Charadrius 2)htvialis,  Horsf.     Traus.  Liuu.  Soc,  xii,  187,  (1822.) 

Charadrius  jcantliochcilits,  Wagler.     Syst.  Av.,   Charad.  sp.  36, 

(1827.) 
Charadrius  taitensis,  Less.    Mau.  Orn.  ii,  321,  (1828.) 
Charadrius  virginianus,  Jard.  et  Selb.     111.  ii,  pi.  85,  (circ.  1830.) 
Charadrius  glaucopus,  FoRST.     Descr.  Au.,  ed.  Licht.,  176,  (1844.) 
Charadrius  virginicus,  Blyth.     Cat.  B.  Mus.  As.  Soc,  262,  (1849.) 
Charadrius  hin/ipes,  Temmixck. 

Charadrius  auratus  orivnialis,  Temm.  et  Scheeg.     Fn.  Japouica. 
Charadrius  auratus,  Schrenk.     Amur  Reise,  410,  (1860.) 
Pluvialis  fulvus,   ScHLEGEL.      Mus.   Pays-Bas,   Cursores,  p.   50, 

(1864.) 
Fluvialis  fulvus,  taiieusis,  xanthocheilus,  longipes,  Bp.       Compt. 

Rend.,  417,  (1856.) 

The  Single  specimen  of  golden  plover  preserved  by  Mr.  Elliott 
is  of  special  interest  and  importance,  since  it  is  conclusively 
determined  to  be  the  true  Asiatic  fulvus,  and  not  the  Xorth 
American  var.  virginicus.  This  discovery  represents  an  addi- 
tion to  ouv  Fauna,  for  C.  fulvus  has  not  hitherto  been  recognized 


180  ALASKA. 

as  North  American.  We  have  made  the  comparison  with 
numerous  examples  before  us  from  various  Asiatic  and  Pacific 
localities,  finding  the  present  specimen  indistinguishable. 
Length,  about  9.50;  wing,  QAO;  tail,2.G0;  tarsus,  l.GO;  middle" 
toe  and  claw,  1.10;  culmeu,  .95.  There  is  a  yellowish  sufltusiou 
about  the  head,  particularly  along  the  superciliary  line,  which 
is  hardly  to  be  noticed  in  the  ordinary  North  American  bird. 
The  specimen  was  taken  on  Saint  Paul's,  May  2, 1873.  "A  few 
stragglers  land  in  April,  or  early  in  May,  on  their  way  north  to 
breed,  but  never  remain  long.  They  returu  in  greater  number 
in  the  latter  part  of  September,  and  grow  fat  upon  the  larvae 
generated  on  the  killing-grounds,  leaving  for  the  south  by  the 
end  of  October." 

406.     Sti'epsilas  iiiterpres,  L. — Turnstone.    "  Krass-nie  Ko-lit-skie." 

The  numerous  specimens  all  alike  indicate  an  interesting 
approach  to  the  peculiar  features  of  var.  melanocepJiahis,  in  the 
extent  and  intensity  of  the  black  areas  on  the  head,  neck,  and 
back.  The  chestnut,  in  fact,  is  reduced  mainly  to  a  scapular 
patch,  some  edging  of  the  feathers  of  the  interscapular  region, 
and  a  diffuse  area  on  the  wing-coverts.  The  upper  parts  of  the 
body  are  otherwise  black,  relieved  by  the  broad,  i^ure  white 
area  of  the  lower  back  and  rump,  and  varied  with  white  on  the 
crown  and  cervix.  The  front,  sides  of  head  and  neck,  throat, 
and  entire  breast  are  intense  black,  relieved  by  loral,  gular, 
auricular,  and  latero-cervical  white  areas. 

"  The  turnstone  arrives  in  flocks  of  thousands  about  the  third 
week  in  July,  and  takes  its  departure  about  the  10th  of  Sep- 
tember. It  does  not  breed  here.  *  On  its  arrival  it  is  quite  poor 
in  flesh,  but,  feeding  upon  the  larvre  and  maggots  of  the  killing- 
grounds,  it  rapidly  gains,  and  at  length  becomes  extraordinarily 
fat — so  fat  that  frequently  it  bursts  open  as  it  falls  to  the  ground 
when  shot  on  wing. 

"  It  is  a  very  handsome  bird  when  in  full  plumage,  with  its 
bright-red  legs,  snowy,  black-banded  breast,  and  back  tinged 
with  brown  and  green  reflections.  Its  well-known  curious 
actions,  in  pursuit  of  its  ordinary  food,  have  given  it  its  name. 
1  met  with  it  at  sea,  eight  hundred  miles  from  the  nearest  land, 
flying  northAvest  toward  the  Aleutian  Islands." 

410.    LiObipos  liyperboi'Ctis,  (L.,)  Cvv.—Xoi-ihem  PhaJaropc. 

The  egg  of  this  species,  not  yet  generally  well  known,  pre- 
sents the   following  characters,  taken  from   the   unparalleled 


ALASKA.  181 

series  iu  the  Siuitbsoniau  Institution,  collected  at  various  points 
in  the  Yukon  and  Anderson  River  region  :  The  ground  varies 
from  dark  greenish  olive,  or  brownish  olive,  through  various 
lighter  drab  tints,  nearly  to  a  b-.iti'y  brown,  occasionally  to  a 
light  gray.  The  markings  are  usually  heavy  and  bold,  consist- 
ing of  large  spots,  and  still  larger  blotches  or  splashes  result- 
ing from  their  confluence,  mingled  with  dots  and  scratches  in 
interminable  confusion.  In  general  pretty  evenly  distributed, 
they  often  tend  to  aggregate  about  the  larger  end,  in  rarer  in- 
stances forming  a  perfect  wreath.  In  a  few  instances  all  the 
markings  are  mere  dots.  As  a  rule,  the  size  and  heaviness  of 
the  markings  bear  some  proportion  to  intensity  of  the  ground 
color  ;  the  markings  are  dark  bister-brown,  chocolate,  and  some- 
times still  lighter  brown.  The  longest  and  narrowest  egg  of 
several  dozen  measures  1.30  by  only  .75 ;  a  short,  thick  egg 
gives  only  1.10  by  .82 ;  the  average  is  about  1.20  by  .80.  The 
eggs  are  three  or  four  in  number,  ofteuest  the  latter,  and  are 
generally  laid  in  June,  oftenestin  the  latter  half  of  the  month. 
They  are  deposited  in  a  slight  depression  of  the  ground,  vari- 
ously lined  with  a  little  withered  vegetation. 

"A  few  stray  couples  breed  upon  the  islands,  nesting-  around 
the  margins  of  the  lakelets.  The  egg  I  was  unable  to  find,  but 
I  secured  several  newly-hatched  young  ones  which  were  very 
pretty  and  interesting.  They  are  only  two  or  three  inches  long, 
with  a  bill  about  a  third  of  an  inch  in  length,  and  no  thicker 
than  an  ordinary  dressing-pin.  The  down  of  the  head,  neck, 
and  upper  parts  is  rich  brownish  yellow,  variegated  with 
brownish  black,  the  crown  being  of  this  color  mixed  with  yel- 
low, and  a  long  stripe  extends  down  the  back,  flanked  with  one 
over  each  hip,  another  across  the  rump,  and  a  shoulder-spot  on 
each  side.  The  under  parts  are  grayish  silvery  white.  This 
bird,  when  startled,  or  solicitous  for  the  safety  of  its  young, 
utters  a  succession  of  sonorous  ^ticccf  sounds,  quickly'  repeated, 
with  long  intervals  of  silence." 

411.    Phalaropiis  fiilicariiis,  i,L.,)  Bos.— lied  Phalarope. 

The  nidification  of  this  species  is  similar  iu  all  respects  to 
that  of  L.  hyperhoreiis,  and  the  egg  cannot  be  distinguished 
with  certainty  in  any  given  instance.  They  average,  however, 
somewhat  larger — about  1.2.5  by  .85.  The  largest  specimen 
measured  1.30  by  .90  ;  the  shortest,  1.15  by  .90.  Numerous 
specimens,  in  the  Smithsonian  collection,  were  taken  early  in 
July,  at  Frankliu  Bay,  on  the  arctic  coast,  by  Mr.  R.  Macfar- 
lane. 


182  ALASKA. 

''  Tbougb  miicb  more  abnndautthan  the  preceding,  at  certain 
times,  I  am  satisfied  that  the  red  pbalarope  does  uot  breed  here. 
It  is  foimd,  like  the  other,  by  the  marshy  margins  of  the  lake- 
lets, solitary  or  paired,  but  never  in  flocks.  The  earliest  arrivals 
occur  in  June,  but  the  birds  re-appear  in  greatest  number  about 
the  loth  of  August.    They  all  leave  by  the  5th  of  October." 

42G  his.  Triiig'a  crassirosti'is,  Temji.  et  Schlegel. — Thick-hilled  Sand- 
piper.     "  Ko-lits-kie." 
Trincja  crassirostris,  Temm.  et  Schlegel,     Fauna  Japonica,  107, 
pi.  64,  (1846.)  (?)— Call.      Amer.   Naturalist,  \u,  635,  (Oct., 
1873.)— COUES.     Check-List,  85,  No.  426  his,  (1873.) 

The  most  interesting  result,  in  some  respects,  of  Mr.  Elliott's 
ornithological  researches  is  the  determination  of  the  occur- 
rence of  this  species  in  abundance  on  the  Prybilov  Islands^ 
where  it  breeds.  This  discovery  adds  a  species,  previously  un- 
recognized as  Xorth  American,  to  our  Fauna.  The  announce- 
ment was  lately  made  by  Mr.  W.  H.  Dall,  as  above,  upon  the 
strength  of  one  of  Mr.  Elliott's  earlier  specimens  from  Saint 
Paul's.  This  example  was  identified  by  3Ir.  J.  E.  Harting,*  of 
London,  well  known  for  the  extent  and  accuracy  of  his  investi- 
gations of  the  Limicoline  groups,  to  whom  it  was  transmitted 
for  the  purpose  by  the  Smithsonian  Institution.  Mr.  Elliott's 
later  collections  contain  numerous  specimens,  among  them  sev- 
eral newly-hatched  young,  hitherto  probably  unknown.  No 
description  of  the  species  having  been  published  in  this  country^ 
we  subjoin  the  following  : 

Adult,  in  hreedingplumagc.  (Xo.  04240,  :\Ius.  S.  I.— 676,  Coll. 
H.  W.  E.— July  22,  1873.  Saint.  George's.)— With  somewhat 
the  general  appearance  of  a  Tringa  aljnna,  but  the  black  area  on 
the  under  parts  pectoral,  not  abdominal.  Bill  about  as  long  as^ 
the  head,  straight  to  the  end,t  compressed,  stout,  and  high  at 

*  Deferring  to  this  excellent  authority'  ou  Limicoline  birds,  and  without 
a  cop}'  of  the  work  in  which  Tringa  crassirostris  was  originally  described, 
at  hand,  we  have  presented  it  under  the  same  name.  But  almost  cer- 
tainly it  is  )tot  the  bird  described  by  Schlegel  as  Tringa  crassirostris  in  the 
Museum  des  Pay.s-Bas.  The  characters  there  given  are  those  of  a  different 
bird  altogether.  By  no  latitude  of  interpretation  can  they  be  rendered 
applicable  to  the  present  species.  In  case  our  bird,  here  described  in  de- 
tail, be  found  uot  the  saijie  as  the  true  Tringa  crassirostris,  it  may  appro- 
priately be  named  T.  ptilooicmis,  in  allusion  to  the  feathered  tibiie.  We 
consider  it  most  nearly  allied  to  Tringa  maritima,  next  to  which  it  may 
take  its  place  in  the  system. 

tin  other  specimens,  and  usually,  the  bill  isc  onsiderably  longer,  exceed- 
ing the  head,  and  dccidedlv  decurved  at  the  end. 


ALASKA.  183 

the  base,  with  very  long  uasal  fossce,  reaching  to  witbiii  J  iiicli 
of  the  tip,  and  deep  at  the  base;  the  groove  of  the  under  man- 
dible co-extensive  in  length,  but  linear  throughout.  Feathers 
on  side  of  under  mandible  extending  beyond  those  on  the 
upper;  the  iuterramal  feathers  proje(;ting  still  a  little  ways 
farther.  Legs  very  short,  (much  as  iu  Tringa  maritima;)  tibial 
feathers  reaching  nearly  or  quite  to  the  suffrago;  tarsus  shorter 
thau  the  bill,  or  tliau  the  middle  toe  and  claw.  Wings  and 
tail  as  usual  throughout  the  genus. 

A  coronal  area,  the  upper  back,  interscapular  region  and 
scapulars  black,  completely  variegated  with  rich  chestnut- 
brown,  paler  ochery  brown  and  whitish,  the  body  of  each 
feather  being  black,  vrith  one  or  another  or  all  of  these  various 
edgings;  the  coronal  separated  from  the  interscapular  mark- 
ings by  a  grayish-white,  dusky-streaked  cervical  interval. 
Lower  back  and  rump  and  upper  tail-coverts  blackish  brown 
or  gravish  black,  onlv  varied  with  an  occasional  chestnut  edged 
feather.  ^Yiug-coverts  grayish  brown,  with  narrow  white  edg- 
ing, the  greater  with  broad,  definite  white  tips.  Secondaries 
nearly  all  pure  white,  a  few  of  the  outermost,  and  innermost 
also,  with  grayish-brown  touches  near  the  end.  Primaries 
grayish  brown  with  white  shafts,  except  at  tip,  and  fading  to 
white  on  the  inner  webs  toward  the  base ;  several  of  the  inner- 
most, also,  largely  white  on  the  outer  web,  and  with  definite 
white  tipping.  Central  tail-feathers  brownish  black;  next  pair 
abruptly  paler,  grayish;  the  rest  white,  or  nearly  so,  with  a 
faint  gray  tint.  Front  and  sides  of  head,  superciliary  line, 
the  tufts  of  flank-feathers,  and  entire  under  parts,  white,  inter- 
rupted on  the  breast  with  a  large  but.  not  perfectly  continuous 
nor  well-defined  blackish  area,  and  marked  on  the  upper  breast 
and  sides  with  a  few  narrow,  sharp,  blackish  shaft-lines,  a 
dusky  auricular  patch.  Legs  and  bill  dark.  Length,  appar- 
ently about  9.50  inches  ;  wing,  about  5;  tail,  2..50;  bill,  1.10 
to  1.40  ;  tarsus,  .90  to  1.00 :  middle  toe  and  claw,  1.05  to  1.20. 
•  The  sexes  are  not  distinguishable  by  any  outward  mark.  We 
have  before  us  no  specimen  in  complete  fall-plumage  ;  but  one 
taken  June  9,  still  retaining  at  that  date  the  past  season's 
plumage,  for  the  most  part,  enables  us  to  predicate  the 
autumnal  and  winter  vesture.  The  difference  is  entirely  anal- 
ogous to  that  seen  in  various  other  sandpipers.  It  consists  in 
the  great  development  and  intensity  of  the  chestnut  edgings  of 
the  feathers  of  the  upper  part,  to  the  restriction  of  their  black 
fields,  and  to  the  exclusion,  nearly  complete,  of  the  pale  ochery 


184  ALASKA. 

and  whitish  edgiugs  which  make  up  the  characteristic  variega- 
tiou  of  the  breediug-pluinage,  in  the  absence  of  any  dividing 
cervical  interval  between  the  coloration  of  the  crown  and  that 
of  the  back,  and  especially  in  the  strong,  complete  suffusion  of 
the  sides  of  the  head  and  the  whole  throat  with  tawny  brown. 
The  pectoral  area  is  only  indicated  by  scattered  blackish  feath- 
ers, being  in  the  fall  probably  still  more  obscure,  or  rather  re- 
l^laced  merely  by  a  few  dusky  streaks  or  spots. 

Xc ic J y -hatched  young,  (taken  early  in  July.) — These  interesting 
little  creatures,  two  or  three  inches  long,  are  very  i^rettily 
marked.  The  down  of  the  under  parts  is  silvery  white;  that 
of  the  upper  is  rich  reddish  brown,  varied  with  black,  and 
with  curiously  sharp,  whitish  dots  of  definitely  rounded 
contour,  appearing  like  spots  of  mildew.  Each  such  spot  is 
about  as  large  as  a  pin's  head,  and,  examined  with  a  lens,  is 
seen  to  be  the  enlarged,  circumscribed,  brushy  end  of  a  downy 
plume,  whence  several  tiny  bristles  project.  Each  such  plume 
is  white  basally,  then  black  for  a  distance,  ending  in  the  whit- 
ish tuft.  The  areas  thus  dottetl  correspond,  consequently,  to 
the  areas  of  black  variegatioR;  but  there  is,  also,  a  black,  un- 
<lotted  loral  spot,  frontal  line,  and  a  few  other  markings.  The 
bill  is  mostly  black,  very  short  and  slender;  the  legs  are  com- 
l)aratively  long  and  stout,  and  appear  to  have  been  light- 
colored. 

Xearly-Jledgecl,  not  quite  (jrou-n,  young,  (taken  late  in  July.) — 
Several  specimens  retaining  down,  or  traces  of  it,  about  the 
head  and  neck,  otherwise  completely  feathered.  The  upper 
parts  are  much  as  in  the  adults  in  the  breeding-season,  as  to 
the  colors  of  the  variegation,  but  the  markings  are  in  simple 
curved  lines  rather  than  sharj)  V-shaped  patterns,  and  the 
edgings  are  much  narrower.  The  edgings  of  the  wing-coverts 
have  an  ochery  cast.  The  interior  tail-feathers  have  rust3' 
edgings.  The  throat  and  breast  are  more  or  less  suffused  with 
j)ale  rusty  ;  there  is  no  black  pectoral  area,  but  the  jugulum, 
breast,  and  sides  have  an  indefinite  number  of  suffused,  dusky 
markings.* 

"  lu  Mr.  Hartiug's  letter  upon  the  sal>ject,  handed  us  by  Professor  Baird,  to 
whom  it  was  addressed,  the  following  occurs,  iu  substauce  :  T.  crassirofitris, 
T.  &,  S.,  SCH.,  M.  P.  B.,  Salop.,  1864,  2S;  Blak.,  Ibis,  186-2,  315-330.— Hab., 
China,  Japan,  Java,  Borneo. — Svx.,  Schccniclas  magnus,  Gould,  P.  Z.  S.,  1648, 
39;  B.  Aust.,  vi,  pi.  33;  Tringa  magna,  Bp.,  C.  E.,  185G;  Trhiga  ienuirosiris, 
Gould,  Hdbk.  B.  Aust.,  ii,  1865,  260,  (nee  HoRSr.,  Liun.  Trans.,  siii,  1820, 
192,  qtue  Totanus  stagnatUis,  L.)     "  Temmick   &  Schiegel  say,  (?.  c.)  '  This 


ALASKA. 


18.5 


The  foUowiug  measurements  of  a  uuinber  of  adult  specimens 
will  illustrate  the  size  and  shape,  and,  to  a  great  extent,  the 
normal  variations  in  dimension  of  the  species: 


Measurements. 


Locality. 


Saint  George's  Island 

Do 

Do 

Do 

Do 

Do 

Do 

Do 

Do 

Do 

Do 

Do 

Do 

Do 

Do 

Do 


C3 


o 

Hi 


July  22 
July  22 
July  4 
July  7 
July  7 
Juno  19 
July 
July 
July 

July 

July 

July 

July 
July 
July 
July 


C4249 
04250 
(;425l 
f.42."y2 
(i4253 
(14254 
C4255 
64256 
64257 
64'J58 
64259 
G4260 
64265 
64236 
64267 
64268 


o 

o 

o 
CO 

1 

5 

Tar.sus 
front. 

676 

5 

5.10 

2.50 

1.12 

0.90 

677 

2 

5.20 

2.60 

1.28 

1.00 

590 

g 

5.10 

2.30 

1.10 

0.94 

597 

V 

5.00 

2.50 

1.20 

0.9:; 

600 

9 

5.10 

2.80 

1.45 

1.00 

462 

¥ 

5.15 

2.75 

1.40 

0.98 

602 

5^ 

5.10 

2.40 

1.30 

0.97  1 

601 

y 

5.18 

2.70 

1.41 

0.  9r,  1 

596 

4.80 

2.50 

1.25 

0.90 

585 

5 

5.00 

2.50 

1.30 

0.96 

587 

s 

5.05 

2.40 

1.25 

0.97 

675 

cT 

5.25 

2.80 

1.42 

0.95 

574 

5.35 

2.75 

1.40 

l.CO 

.■588 

9 

5.30 

2.70 

1.45 

0.98 

.■598 

9 

4.90 

2.  .50 

1.20 

0.90 

599 

4.90 

2.30 

l.bO 

0.91 

a 


1.08 
1.10 
1.10 
1.00 
1.  l.l 
1.  C8 
1.  12 
1.13 
1. 12 
1.15 
1.07 
1.20 
1.10 
1.20 
1.14 
1.10 


"This  is  the  only  wader  that  breeds  upon  the  Prybilov 
Islands,  with  the  marked  exception  of  a  stray  couple  now  and 
then  of  Phalaropus  hyperboreus.  It  makes  its  appearance  early 
in  Maj',  and  repairs  to  the  dry  uplands  and  mossy  hummocks, 
where  it  breeds.  The  nest  is  formed  by  the  bird's  selection  of 
a  particular  mos.sy  bunch,  and  there  setting*.  It  lays  four 
darkly-blotched  pyriform  eggs,  and  hatches  within  twenty  days. 
The  young  come  from  the  shell  in  a  thick  yellowi.sh  down,  with 
dark-brown  markings  on  the  head  and  back,  getting  the  plum- 
age of  their  parents  and  taking  to  wing  as  early  as  the  lOth  of 
August;  and  at  this  season  old  and  young  flock  together  for 
the  first  time,  and  confine  themselves  to  the  sand-beaches  and 
surf-margins  about  the  islands  for  a  few  weeks,  when  they  take 

species  belongs  to  the  same  type  as  the  Knot,  (T.  canittus,)  but  is  much  more 
robust  in  size,  the  bill  is  longer,  the  tarsi  are  longer,  and  the  toes  more  ro- 
bust,' (this  is  a  mistake;)  'finally,  it  differs  in  the  very  diflerent  coloratiou 
of  the  plumage,  notably  in  the  breeding-season.'"  *  *  *  "It  seems  to 
me  that  the  bird  is  in  every  respect  a  large  dunlin,  (T.  cincliis.)  which  it  re- 
sembles much  more  nearly  than  it  does  canntus,  not  only  in  regard  to  the 
structure  of  the  bill  and  feet,  but  in  the  character  of  the  breeding-plumage," 
&c.  Now,  our  T.  ptihcnemis  bears  a  wonderful  superficial  reseuiblance  to 
an  overgrown  dunlin,  but  its  affinities,  as  shown  by  the  feathered  tibiw,  and 
tarsus  shorter  than  the,  middle  toe,  are  entirely  with  T.  jnaritimus,  as  already 
said,  and  some  plumages  very  closely  resemble  the  extensively-whitened 
winter-dress  of  the  latter. 


186  ALASKA. 

flig'lit  b\^  tbe  1st  or  otb  of  September,  and  disappear  until  tbe 
opening  of  tbe  new  season. 

^'It  is  a  most  devoted  and  fearless  parent,  and  will  flatter  in 
feigned  distress  around  by  tbe  bour,  uttering  a  low  piping-  note 
sbould  one  approacb  its  nest.  It  also  makes  a  sound  exactly  like 
our  tree-frogs,  and  until  I  bad  traced  tbe  matter  to  tbis  source, 
I  searcbed  several  weeks  unavailingl}-  for  tlie  presence  of  tbese 
reptiles,  misled  by  tbe  call  of  tbis  bird." 

A  set  of  four  eggs  of  tbis  species,  tbe  full  complement,  taken 
by  Mr.  Elliott,*  June  19,  1873,  on  Saint  George's,  are  perbaps 
tbe  first  specimens  wbicb  bave  reacbed  naturalists ;  certainly 
tbe  first  we  bave  bad  in  tbis  country.  Tbey  appear  to  bave 
been  nearly  or  quite  fresb  at  tbe  date  mentioned.  Tbe  egg  is 
ratber  a  peculiar  one  ;  of  all  tbe  sandpiper's  eggs  before  us,  it 
most  resembles  tbat  of  Tringa  mariiima.  Tbe  sbape  is  regu- 
larly pyriform,  as  usual  in  tbis  family.  Measurements  of  tbe 
four  examples  are:  1.55  x  I.O85  1.52  x  1.05;  1.50  x  1.08;  1.48  x 
1.05.  Tbe  ground  is  nearly  clay-color,  but  witb  an  appreciable 
olivaceous  sbade;  tbe  markings  are  large,  bold,  and  numerous, 
of  ricb,  burnt-umber  brown,  of  varying  depth,  according  to  tbe 
quantity  of  tbe  pigment.  Tbese  surfiice-markings  occur  all 
over  tbe  sbell,  except  tbe  extreme  point,  and  are  solidly  massed 
by  confluence  on  tbe  larger  balf  of  tbe  egg]  all  tbe  markiugs  are 
strong,  as  if  laid  on  freely  witb  a  beavily-cbarged  brusb.  Witb 
tbese  surface-spots  occur  numerous  sbellmarkings  of  tbe  same 
character,  but,  of  course,  obscure,  presenting  a  stone-gray  or 
purplish  gray  sbade ;  some  of  them  look  as  if  tbe  color  of  the 
surface-spots  bad  "  run  "and  soaked  into  tbe  olivaceous  drab  of 
the  general  surface. 

*  Tbe  eggs  were  first  discovered  by  Mr.  George  li.  Adams,  agent  of  the  Alaska 
Commercial  Company,  Saint  George's  Island.  He,  in  order  that  they  should 
be  identified,  notified  Mr.  Elliott  of  their  position,  who  imnit^diately  shot  the 
parent  and  secured  the  eggs.  Mr.  Elliott  has  had  frequent  occasion  to  ac- 
knowledge the  courtesy  and  facilities  for  natural-history  work  furnished  by 
the  agents  of  the  Alaska  Commercial  Company  on  both  islands,  Dr.  H.  H. 
Mclntyre  and  Mr.  Adams,  above  mentioned.  To  tlie  last-named  gentleman 
he  is  especially  indebted  for  many  desiderata.  Mr.  Samuel  Falconer,  assist- 
ant agent,  and  Drs.  Otto  Cramer  and  Meany,  physicians  on  the  two  islands, 
are  also  among  the  few  to  whom  Mr.  Elliott's  grateful  obligations  are  due. 
From  Dr.  Cramer  we  h.ave  reason  to  anticipate  a  very  valuable  and  interest- 
ing paper  upon  the  stomach  and  intestinal  parasites  of  the  fur-seal,  which  he 
was  engaged  upon  when  Ma  Elliott  took  his  departure  from  the  islands, 
August  10,  1873. 


ALASKA.  187 

4:!G.  L.ailfiO!^a  MS'opyf?a;j8as,  Govi.v.—  Jyhile-rumpedGodwit. 

Limosa  uropnyiaUs,  Gori.D.— Bi).  Trans.  Chicago  Acad.,  i,  320,  pi, 
3-2,  (18G9.)— D.VLL  aud  Banx,  Ibhl,  293.— CoUES.  Key  X.  A., 
Birds  258,  (1872.) 

This  well-knowu  Old  World  species,  lately  added  to  our 
fauua,  a.*^  above,  is  readily  distinguisbed  by  the  black  aud 
white  barring  of  the  upper  tail-coverts.  la  winter  the  upper 
parts  are  pale  gray,  with  dusky  .shaft-lines,  and  the  under  i^arts 
are  nearly  white — a  condition  never  shown  by  our  other  species. 
In  full  plumage,  the  white  of  the  rump  and  upper  tail-coverts  is 
ujore  or  less  tinged  with  rusty,  and  the  upper  parts  are  brown- 
ish black,  everywhere  variegated  with  rusty.  Bills  of  different 
specimens  before  us  range  in  length  from  3 J  to  4i  inches;  those 
of  the  adults  are  mostly  dark,  but  in  the  young  fully  the  basal 
half  is  light-colored — dull  whitish  in  the  dried  state. 

Mr.  Elliott  did  not  take  the  eggs  of  this  species,  but  two 
examples  were  secured  by  Mr.  IJall,  June  IS,  18GS,  at  Kutlik, 
Alaska.  These  differ  as  much  from  each  other  as  eggs  of  this 
species  do  from  those  of  other  species.  The  ground  of  one  is 
quite  greenish  olive ;  of  the  other,  pale  olive-gray.  In  the 
former,  the  markings  are  all  subdued  neutral  tints,  apparently 
in  the  shell ;  in  the  latter,  the  markings  are  nearly  all  on  the 
surface,  and  quite  bright  chocolate-brown.  In  both  cases  the 
markings  are  numerous  and  of  indeterminate  shape,  mostly 
small,  and  generally  distributed,  though  tending  to  aggregate 
at  the  butt,  where  alone  they  lose  their  distinctness  in  coalesc- 
ing to  form  a  splashed  area.     Size,  2.20  x  1.45 ;  2,25  x  1.50. 

"  Migratory  only,  never  breeding  here.  Comes  in  a  strag- 
gling manner  early  in  May,  passing  northward  with  little  de- 
lay, and  re-appears  toward  the  end  of  August  in  flocks  of  a 
dozen  to  fifty." 

440.  HeterosceUis  aiicaiuis,  (Gm.)  Coues.— rraH^eWH.7  TaUler. 

Scolopax  incana,  Gmel.     Syst.  Nat.,  i,  658,  (1788.)— Lath.     Ind. 

Oni.,  ii,  724,  (1790.) 
Totaniis  hicanus,  Yieill.    Diet.  Deterv.,  vi,  400,  (1816.) 
Heieroscdus  incanus,  Coles.     Kej  N,  A.  Birds,  261,  (1872.) 
Triiuja  fihtnola,  Pall.     Zoog.  Rosso-As.,  ii,  194,  pi.  60,  (1811.) 
Totanus  hrevipes,  A^ieill.     Diet.  Deterv.,  vi,  400,  (1816.)-Cass. 

Pr.  A.  N.  S.,  viii,  40,  (18.36.) 
Heterosceh'.s  bnvipes,  Baii:d.     B.  X.  A.,  734,  pi.  88,  (1858.)— Dall. 

Tr.  Chic.  Acad.,  i,  293,  (18B9.) 
Totanus  fuUtjhwstis,  Gould.     Voy.  Beagle;  Biixls,  130,  (1841.)— 

Gi:av.     G.  of  B.,  iii,  pi.  154. 
Scolopax  undulata,  Foitsr.     Descr.  Auiin.,  ed.  Licht.,  173,  (1844.) 


188  ALASKA. 

Tofantisjndverulentus,  Mull.    YerliaiuL,  153,  (1844.)— Sciilegel, 

Fauna  Japan,  pi.  65. 
Totanus  oceanicus,  Less.     Corap.  Buff.,  244,  (1847.) 
Tofanus  pohjnesia,  Peale.     ^'oy.  Vine,  and  Peac. ;  Birds,  237, 

(1848.) 
Totanus  gnseopygius,  Gould.    B.  Aust.,  vi,  pi.  38. 
Gamhetia  hrevijyts,  fidiginosa,  jiulverulenia,  oceanica,  griseopygia, 

Bonaparte. 

Two  specimens  are  contained  in  Mr.  Elliott's  collections. 

Migratory  regularly,  but  does  not  breed  here.  It  comes  every 
year  early  in  June,  and  subsequently  re-appears  toward  the 
end  of  July,  when  it  may  be  obtained  on  the  rocky  beaches. 
It  never  visits  the  uplands,  and  is  a  very  shy  and  quiet  bird. 

443.  IVunieilius  borealis,  (Forst.)  'LxTn.— Esquimaux  Curlew. 

This  curlew  onlv  visits  the  Prybilov  Islands  in  the  same  man- 
ner  as  the  Limosa.  It  breeds,  apparently  in  great  numbers,  in 
the  Anderson  Eiver  region,  to  judge  from  the  numerous  sets  of 
€ggs  in  the  Smith.souian  forwarded  by  Mr.  E.  Macfarlane.  The 
usual  nest-complement  is  four,  made  up  usually  the  third  week 
in  June.  The  nest  is  i)laced  on  a  barren  plain,  and  made  of 
decayed  leaves  placed  under  the  eggs  in  a  depression  of  the 
ground.  The  eggs  vary  to  the  great  extent  usual  among 
waders.  The  ground  is  olive-drab,  either  tending  more  .to 
green,  to  gray,  or  to  brown  in  different  instances.  The  mark- 
ings are  always  numerous  and  bold,  of  the  dark  chocolate, 
bister,  and  sepia  browns  of  different  depths,  together  with  the 
usual  stone-gray  shell-markings.  These  always  tend  to  aggre- 
gation at  the  larger  end,  or,  at  least,  are  more  numerous  on  the 
major  half  of  the  egg,  though  the  distribution  is  sometimes 
nearly  uniform,  and  in  no  instance  is  the  small  end  entirely  free 
from  spots.  In  one  set  the  large  end  is  almost  completely  occu- 
pied b.y  a  dense  confluence  of  very  dark  markings.  The  smallest, 
and  at  the  same  time  shortest,  egg  measures  ouly  1.90  x  1.40 ; 
the  longest  and  narrowest,  2.12  x  1.33;  an  average  egg  is 
2.00  X  1.45. 

We  may  refer,  in  this  connection,  to  a  species  of  curlew  lately 
ascertained  to  inhabit  Alaska,  as  one  which  may  be  esi^ected 
to  occur  also  on  the  Prybilov  Islands.  This  iuterestiug  addi- 
tion to  our  fauna  is  the  Xumcnius  femoralis  of  Peale — a  species 
about  as  large  as  N.  Imdsonicus,  and  somewhat  resembling  it, 
but  readily  distinguished  by  the  curious  long  bristly  filaments 
which  tip  the  abdominal  feathers,  and  otber  characters.  ^  A 


ALASKA.  189 

male  speciraeu  was  takeu  bj*  F.  Bischofl'  at  Fort  Kenai,  Alaska, 
May  18,  18G9,  and  is  now  iu  the  Smitlisouiau.  (See  Vigors, 
Zool.  Journ.,  iv,  356;  and  Zool.  Voy.  Blossom,  28.) 

A  single  specimen  only  of  the  Esquimaux  curlew  was  taken 
by  Mr.  Elliott  on  Saint  Paul's  Island,  June,  1872.  None  other 
than  this  one  was  seen  by  him. 

4'^2.  Plaiiacte  eaiiagica,  (Sevast.)  B\ys.—Em2)eior  Goose.    Fainted 

Gooae. 
Jmis  canagica,  Si: vast.    Nov.  Act.  Acad.  St.  Peters.,  xiii,  346,  pi. 

10,  (l.-'OO.) 
Anser  canagicns,  Brandt.     Bull.  Sc,  St.  Peters.,  i,  37,  (1836.) 

Brandt.    Descr.  et  Ic.  An.  Eosso-As.,  7,  pi.  1,  (183G.) 
Cldoephacja  canagica,  BoNAP.     Comiites  Rendns,  (1856.) — Baird. 

B.  X.  A.,  766,  (1858.)— Dall  and  Bann.    Trans.  Chic.  Acad., 

i,  296,  (1869.)— Dai.l.     Proc.  Cala.  Acad.,  (Feb.,  1873.) 
Philacie   canagica,    Bann.    Proc.   Phila.   Acad.,   131,   (1870.)— 

COUES.     Key,  283,  (1872.) 

A  set  of  five  eggs,  taken  by  Mr.  Dall  in  Knselvak  Slough, 
June  20,  18G8  are  much  elongated  and  nearly  equal  at  either 
end.  The  color  is  white,  but  with  fine  pale-brown  dotting,  giv- 
ing a  general  light  dirty-brown  aspect.  Specimens  measure 
3.33  X  3.10  5  3.40  X  2.90,  &c. 

(  "  Visits  the  islands  only  as  a  straggler,  sometimes  landing 
so  exhausted  that  the  natives  capture  a  whole  flock  iu  open 
chase  over  the  grass,  the  birds  being  unable  to  use  their  wings 
for  flight.  I  found  the  flesh  of  this  bird,  contrary  to  report,  free 
from  any  unpleasant  flavor,  and,  in  fact,  very  good.  The  objec- 
tionable quality  is  only  skiu-deep,  and  may  be  got  rid  of  by  due 
care  in  the  preparation  of  the  bird  for  the  table." 

Mr.  Ball's  interesting  note  may  be  appended,  iu  further  illus- 
tration of  the  history  of  this  species  : 

"  This  magnificent  bird  abounds  in  profusion  iu  the  Kuselvak 
Slough,  or  mouth  of  the  Yukon,  to  the  exclusion  of  all  other 
species.  My  endeavors  to  reach  that  poiut  being  unavailing, 
I  was  obliged  to  do  my  best  to  obtain  specimens  elsewhere.  It 
is  quite  scarce  around  the  Kwichpak  Slough  and  on  the  sea- 
coast.  By  oflering  a  large  reward,  I  obtained  four  fine  speci- 
mens from  the  marshes  around  Kutlik.  It  is  the  largest  of  the 
geese  of  the  country,  and  the  delicate  colors  of  the  body,  with 
the  head  and  nape  snow-white,  tipped  with  rich  amber-yellow, 
are  a  beautiful  sight.  The  eye  is  dark-brown ;  feet,  flesh-color. 
The  eggs  are  larger  and  longer  than  those  of  A.  f/ambcJl,  and 
rather  brown  fulvous,  the  color  being  iu  minute  dots.     It  lays 


190  ALASKA. 

ou  tbe  ground,  like  tl)e  otlier  geese.  The  Eskimo  name  is 
I\c(choicth'lul-.  Tbe  raw  flesh  and  skin  have  an  intolerable  odor 
of  garlic,  which  renders  it  a  very  disagreeable  task  to  skin 
them,  but  when  cooked  this  entirely  passes  away,  and  the  flesh 
is  tender  and  good  eating. 

"This  goose  arrives  about  June  1,  or  earlier,  according  to  the 
season.  As  soon  as  the  eggs  are  hatched  the  birds  begiu  to 
molt.  I  saw  half-molted  specimens  at  Pastolik,  July  29, 
18G7.  It  remains  longer  than  any  other  goose,  lingering  until 
the  whole  sea-coast  is  fringed  with  ice,  feeding  on  Mytllus  cdu- 
lis  and.  other  shell-fish,  and  has  been  seen  as  late  as  Kovember 
1  by  the  Eussians.  It  usually  goes  in  pairs,  or  four  or  five 
together,  rather  than  in  large  flocks.  Its  note  is  shriller  and 
clearer  than  that  of  A.  gamheli  or  B.  Inifckinsi,  and  it  is  shyer 
than  the  other  geese,  except  the  black  brant." 

According  to  Mr.  Dall,  the  emperor-goose  does  not  occur  in 
the  Aleutiau  Islands  from  Ounalashka  eastward. 

485a.    Bi'aiita  canadensis,  var.  Iciicopareia,  (Bi!i>t.)  Coues. — 

White-collared  goose.     "  CLoruie  Goose." 
Anser  canadensis,  Pallas,  «ecai<cf.  Zoog.  Eosso-As.,ii,  230,  (1811.) 
Anscr  lencopareius,  Brandt.     Bull.  Ac.  Acad.  St.  Petersb.,  i,  37, 

(1836.)  Brandt.  De.scr.  et  Ic.  Auim.  Eosso-As.,  13,  pi.  2,  (1836.) 
Bernida  leucopareia,  Cassin.     111.  272,.  pi.  45,  (1855.)— Bd.   B.  N. 

A.,  764,  (1858.)— Dall.  Trans.  Chic.  Acad.,  i,  295,  (1869.)  / 
Branta  leucopareia,  Gray.  Hand-list,  iii,  76,  No.  10580,  (1871.) 
Braiita  canadensis  var.  leucopareia,  Coues.     Key  284,  Fig.  185  h, 

(1872.)  V 

There  is  no  reasonable  question  that  this  is  anything  more  than 
a  race  of  the  common  B.  canadensis.  The  supposed  specific  char- 
acters, not  very  tangible  at  best,  are  not  entirely  constant. 

According  to  Mr.  Dall,  this  goose  is  abundant  on  the  coast 
about  the  mouth  of  the  Yukon,  where  it  breeds,  but  it  is  rare 
at  Nulato  or  farther  inland.  The  eggs  were  obtained  at  Pasto- 
lik. 

"  Occasionally  straggles  to  the  islands  in  small  squads  of  ten 
to  thirty,  evidently  driven  by  high  winds  from  their  customary 
line  of  migration  along  the  mainland.  Though  not  breeding 
here,  it  spends,  occasionally,  weeks  at  a  time  ou  the  lakelets 
and  uplands,  before  taking  flight  either  north  or  south,  as  the 
season  may  be." 

488.  Anas  boscljas,  {l^.)— Mallard. 

"A  pair  bred  during  the  season  of  1872,  on  Polavina  Lakelet, 
Saint  Paul's  Island,  and  several  were  observed  later  in  the 


ALASKA.  rj  1 

fall.     Tbe  mallard  was  also  uoted  on  Saint  George's  Island,  but 
it  is  certainly  not  a  regular  visitor  of  either  island." 

492.  Mai'cca  pejsolope,  (L.)  Bp. —  If'klgeou. 

It  is  an  interesting  fact  that  the  widgeon  which  visits  the 
Trybilov  Islands  is  not  21.  ainericana,  which  would  have  been 
anticipated,  but  the  true  M.  penclope.,  as  Mr.  Elliott's  specimens 
attest. 

"It  is  seldom  seen,  never  in  pairs,  does  not  breed  on  the 
islands,  and  apparently  the  few  individuals  noted  during  two 
years'  observation  were  wind-bound  or  astray. 

00;:^.    Karolda  glacJalis,  (L.)  'Lv.xcn.— Long-tailed  Duck.    "  Saafku." 

"Common  and  resident.  It  breeds  on  the  lakelets  and  sloughs 
of  Saint  Paul's,  in  limited  numbers. 

"This  is  a  very  noisy  bird,  particularly  in  the  spring,  when, 
with  the  breaking  up  of  the  ice,  it  comes  into  the  open  reaches 
of  water  with  its  peculiar,  sonorous,  and  reiterated  cry  of  ah- 
naah-nadhyah,  which  rings  cheerfully  upon  the  ear  after  the 
silence  and  desolation  of  an  ice-bound  arctic  winter." 

The  eggs  of  this  species,  according  to  the  sets  before  me,  are 
six  or  seven  in  number,  of  the  usual  shape  and  smooth  texture 
of  shell ;  one  set  is  more  decidedly  pale  greenish  than  the  other, 
which  is  lighter,  and  rather  gray,  slightly  inclining  to  creami- 
ness.  They  measure  2.20x1.50,  down  to  1.90x1.40.  One  set 
was  taken  June  22,  the  other  July  5. 

510.    Histrionicus  torqiiattis  (L.)  Bp.— Harlequin  Duck. 

"Common  on  and  around  the  island  shores,  idly  floating 
amid  the  surf  in  flocks  of  fifty  or  sixty,  or  basking  and  preen- 
ing on  the  beaches  and  outlying  rocks.  It  may  be  seen  all  the 
year  round,  excepting  only  when  forced  away  by  the  ice-floes. 
Its  neat,  however,  eluded  my  search  ;  and,  although  I  am  quite 
confident  that  it  breeds  on  either  the  rocky  beaches  or  the  high 
ridges  inland,  the  natives  themselves  were  equally  ignorant  of 
its  eggs. 

"My  experience  of  this  bird,  it  will  be  observed,  differs  from 
Mr.  Ball's,  who  states  that  it  'is  an  essentially  solitary  species, 
found,  alone  or  in  pairs,  only  in  the  most  retired  spots,  on  the 
small  rivers  flowing  into  the  Yukon,  where  it  breeds.'  {Trans. 
Chicago  Acad.,  i,  208.)  I  did  not  find  it  particularly  wild  or 
shy,  and  numbers  are  killed  by  the  natives  every  fall  or  spring. 
It  is  a  remarkably  silent  bird  ;  I   heard   from   it  no  cry  what- 


192  ALASKA. 

ever  during  the  whole  year.  It  is  a  most  gregarious  duck ;  sol- 
itary pairs  never  stray  away  from  the  flock.  The  females  seem 
to  outnumber  the  males,  two  to  one." 

511.    Soinateria  stellei'i,  (Pall.)  Nkwt.— S«e?Z«-'s  iUfVZe?-. 
Anas  sieUeri,  Pall.     Spic.  Zool.,vi.  35,  pi.  5,  (1769.) 
Clangida  stelleri,  BoiB.     Isis,  5G4,  (1822.) 
FidUjula  steUeri,  Bp.     Syn.  B.  U.  S.  394,  (1828.) 
Macropus  stelleri,  Nutt.    Mau.,  ii,  451,  (1834.) 
Folysticta  stelleri,  Eyton.    Hist.  Brit.  B.,  79,  (1836.)-Bd.     B.  N. 

A.,  801,  (1858.) 
Eniconetta  slellevi,  Gray.     List  Geu.  of  B.,  95,  (1840.) 
Earelda  stelleri,  Keys,  et  Bias.     Wirb.  Europ.,  230,  (1840.) 
Eeniconetta  stelleri,  Agass.     Ind.  Uuiv.,  178,  (1846.) 
Soinateria  stelleri,  Newt.    P.  Z.  S.,  400,  (1861.)— CouES.    Key,  291, 

(1872.) 
Anas  dispar,  Sparrm.    Mus.  Carls.,  pi.  vii,  viii,  (1786.) 
Fuligula  dispar,  Stepii.     Shaw's  Geu.  Zool.,  xii,  206,  (1824.) 
SteUeria  dispar,  Bp.     Comp.  List  B.  Eur.  and  X.  A.,  57,  (1838.) 
Anas  occidua,  Bonn,  et  Vieill.    Ency.  Met.,  i,  130,  (1823.) 

"A  few  of  these  ducks  were  observed,  but  not  secured,  on 
Saint  Paul's,  in  tne  spring  of  1872.  Two  were  shot  at  the  East 
Point,  Saint  George's,  the  same  year.    It  is  only  a  straggler." 

As  several  experienced  ornithologists  have  stated,  Steller's 
duck  is  a  true  eider  in  all  essential  respects.  Various  views  of 
its  systematic  position  which  have  been  entertained  are  indi- 
cated by  the  foregoing  synonymy. 

An  egg  of  Steller's  duck,  in  the  Smithsonian,  from  the  Peters- 
burg Museum,  through  H.  E.  Dresser,  esq.,  collected  in 
Kamtschatka,  measures  2.20  x  1.60,  and  is  like  that  of  the  com- 
mon eider  in  shape,  color,  and  texture  of  shell. 

.534.  Oraciiliis    bicristatus,    (Pall.)    Gray.      Fed-faced    Cormorant. 

"  Oreel." 
?  Fed-faced  Cormonmt  or  Sluig,  Pexnaxt  &  Latham.  (Arct.  Zool., 

11,  584  ;  Gen.  Syn.  vi,  601.     Kamtschatka.) 
?  Felecanus  urile,  G:m.     Syst.  Nat.,  1,  575,  (1788.)— Lath.    Ind. 

Orn.  ii,  888,  (1790.) 
Flialacrocorax  bicristatus.  Pall.      Zoog.  Rosso-As.,  ii,301,  pi.  75, 

f.  2,  (1811.) 
Graculus  UcrisfaUis,  Gray.     Gen.  of  Birds.     Haud-list,  ill,  128, 

No.  11129.— Bd.     Tr.  Chic.  Acad.,  1 ,  321,  pi.  33,  (1869.)— Call. 

&  Baxx.  Ibid.,  302.— Coues.     Key,  304,  (1872.) 
Urile  bicristatus,  Bp.,partim.     Conip.  A\'.,  11,  175,  (1851.) 
"  Phalacrocorax  2)ela(jicns,  FxiJ.:'    Zoog.   Ecsso-As.,  ii,   303,   pi. 

76,  (1811.) 

The  cormorant,  which  swarms  on  the  Prybilov  Islands,  ap- 
I)ears  to  be  unquestionably  the  bird  of  Pallas,  which  is  most 


ALASKA.  103 

probably  the  red-faced  cormorant,  P.  iirile,  of  earlier  autbors. 
lu  adult  plumage  it  is  readily  recoguized  by  the  uaked  red 
skiu  which  eutirely  surrouuds  the  base  of  the  bill,  somewhat 
earuuculate,  aud  the  blue  base  of  the  uuder  maudible,  as  well 
as  by  the  other  points  noticed  in  the  later  treatises  above 
quoted.  In  the  gieat  confusion  subsisting  among  authors  re- 
specting the  North  Pacific  cormorants,  we  do  not  venture  to 
cite  several  names  more  or  less  probably  synonymous. 

Several  eggs  of  this  cormorant,  brought  in  by  Mr.  Elliott,  are 
covered  with  the  white,  chalky  incrustation,  in  a  maximum 
amount  of  depth  and  irregularity,  the  shell  being  very  pale 
bluish  beneath.  They  measure  about  2J  inches  long  by  li  wide, 
being  thus  narrowly  elongate,  though  little  more  pointed  at 
one  end  than  at  the  other.  They  are  all  much  soiled  v/ith  the 
filth  of  the  nest. 

"This  cormorant,  the  only  one  of  its  tribe  visiting  the  Seal 
Islands,  is  a  common  bird,  and  is  found  the  whole  year  round. 
The  terrible  storms  in  February  and  March  are  unable  to  drive 
the  "shag"  away  from  the  sheltered  cliffs  of  the  island,  while 
all  other  sjiecies,  even  the  big  northern  gull,  depart  for  the  open 
water  south. 

"  It  comes  on  to  the  cliffs  to  make  its  nest  and  lay,  the  earliest 
of  the  birds  in  this  sea.  Two  eggs  were  taken  from  a  nest  on 
the  reef.  Saint  PauFs  Island,  June  1,  1872,  which  is  over  three 
weeks  in  advance  of  the  other  water-fowl,  almost  without  ex- 
ception. The  nest  is  large,  carefully  rounded  up,  and  built  upon 
some  jutting  point  or  narrow  shelf  along  the  face  of  a  cliff  or 
bluff;  in  its  construction  sea-ferns,  {Scrtulariclcv,)  grass,  «&«., 
are  used,  together  with  a  cement  made  largely  of  their  excre- 
ment. 

"  The  eggs  are  usually  three  in  number,  sometimes  four,  and, 
compared  with  the  size  of  the  bird,  are  very  small.  They  are 
oval,  of  a  dirty,  whitish  gray,  green,  and  blue  color,  but  soon 
become  soiled ;  for  although  the  bird's  plumage  is  sleek  and 
bright,  yet  it  is  exceedingly  slovenly  and  filthy  about  the  nest. 
The  young  come  from  the  shell  at  the  expiration  of  three 
weeks'  incubation,  without  feathers,  and  almost  bare  even  of 
down.  They  grow  rapidly,  being  fed  by  the  old  birds,  who 
eject  the  contents  of  their  stomachs,  such  as  small  fish,  crabs, 
and  shrimps  all  over  aud  around  the  nest.  In  about  six  weeks 
the  young  cormorant  can  take  to  its  wings,  bein  g  then  fully  as 
large  and  heavy  as  the  parents;  but  it  is  not  until  the  beginning 
of  its  second  year  that  it  has  the  bright  plumage  and  metallic 
13  AL 


194  ALASKA. 

gloss  of  the  adult,  wearing',  during  the  lirst  year,  a  dull  drab- 
browu  coat,  with  the  biilliaut  colors  of  the  base  of  the  bill  and 
gular  sac  subdued. 

"  This  shag  is  a  bold  and  very  inquisitive  bird,  and  utters  no 
sound  whatever  except  when  flying  over  and  around  a  boat  or 
ship,  which  apparently  has  a  magnetic  power  of  attraction  for 
them.  When  they  are  hovering  and  circling  around  in  this 
way,  I  have  heard  alow,  droning  croak  come  from  them. 

"  The  cormorant  cannot  be  called  a  bird  of  graceful  action  at 
any  place,  either  on  the  wing  or  en  shore.  Its  flight  is  a  quick 
beating  of  the  wings,  (which  are  usually  more  or  less  ragged,) 
with  the  neck  and  head  stretched  out  horizontally  to  the  full 
length.  It  is  exceedingly  inquisitive,  flying  around  again 
and  again  to  satisfy  its  curiosity,  but  never  alighting  on  a  boat 
or  ship,  though  coming  close  enough  sometimes  to  be  almost 
touched  by  hand.  It  is  very  dirty  on  the  rocks,  and  does  not 
keep  its  nest  in  tidy  trim  like  the  gulls ;  but  in  regard  to 
its  plumage,  it  cannot  be  surpassed,  or  even  equaled,  by 
any  bird  of  Bering  Sea  for  brilliant  gloss  and  glittering- 
sheen.  It  fairly  shimmers,  when  in  the  sunlight,  with  deep 
bronze  and  purple  reflections,  as  though  clothed  in  steel  armor. 

"  In  their  stomachs  I  have  found  almost  invariably  the  re- 
mains of  small  fish  and  a  coil  of  worms,  {Xematoda.) 

"  As  this  bird  is  found  during  the  whole  winter,  in  spite  of 
severe  weather,  perched  on  the  sheltered  bluffs,  the  natives  re- 
gard it  with  a  species  of  affection,  for  it  furnishes  the  only  sup- 
lily  that  they  can  draw  upon  for  fresh  meat,  soups,  and  stews, 
always  wanted  by  the  sick ;  and  were  the  shags  sought  after 
throughout  the  year,  as  they  are  during  the  short  spell  of 
intensely -bitter  weather  that  occurs  in  severe  winters,  driving 
the  other  waterfowl  away,  they  would  certainly  be  speedily  ex- 
terminated. They  are  seldom  shot,  however,  when  anything 
else  can  be  obtained.'' 

Diomedca  ba'acSsyura,  Ti:M:si.—Shori-taikd  Jlhaiross. 

"  Twenty  or  thirty  years  ago,  when  whaling- vessels  were 
reaping  their  rich  harvests  in  Bering  and  the  Arctic  Seas,  the 
albatross  was  often  seen  about  the  islands,  feeding  upon  the 
whale-carrion  which  might  drift  on  shore.  But  with  the  decrease 
of  the  whale-fishery  the  birds  have  almost  disappeared.  Only 
a  single  individual  was  noted  during  my  two  years'  residence. 
This  was  taken  by  Dr.  Meany,  on  the  north  shore  of  Saint 
George's. 


ALASKxV.  105 

"  It  is  comiiiou  arouud  OunalasUka  Island,  where  I  saw  a 
large  number,  on  my  way  to  San  Francisco,  in  August,  1S73." 

5S2a.  FuJKiaE'MS  glacsiilfis  var.  rodgcs'SJ,  (Cass.)  Covr^.—nodgers's 

Fulmar.    "  Lnpus." 
Iu(hnarii8  rodgcrsii,  Cass.  Proc.Pbila.  Acad.,  290,  (18G-2.)— CouES. 

op.  cif.,  29,  (18G6.)—Baird.    Ti-.  Chicago  Acad.,  i,  323,  pi.  34, 

fig.  1,  (1869.)— Dall  et  Baxx.     Ibid.,  303. 
Fidmarns  (jlacUdis  var.  rodgcrsl,  CouES. — Kev  N.  A.  Birds,  327, 

(1872.) 

Distinguislied  from  the  ordinary  fulmar  by  the  restriction  of 
tlie  darker  slate-gray  mantle,  mostof  the  wing-coverts  and  some 
of  the  secondaries  being  white. 

An  egg  of  this  fulmar,  procured  by  Mr.  Elliott,  is  much  more 
elongate  than  the  only  specimen  of  F.  glaciaUs  before  me,  and 
the  shell  is  even  rougher  than  in  the  latter,  with  innumerable 
raised  points  and  minute  fosste.  It  measures  2.90  in  length  by 
1.90  in  breadth,  and  is  scarcely  more  pointed  at  one  end  than 
at  the  other.  The  color  is  white,  much  soiled,  in  this  instance, 
with  adventitious  yellow  discoloration.  The  description  applies 
to  the  whole  of  a  large  series  examined. 

"  This  is  the  only  representative  of  the  Frocellarhuc  I  have 
seen  on  or  about  the  Prybilov  Islands.  It  repairs  to  the  cliffs, 
especially  on  the  south  and  east  shores  of  Saint  George's, 
comes  very  early  in  the  season,  and  selecting  some  rocky 
shelf,  secure  from  all  enemies  save  man,  where,  making  no  nest 
whatever,  it  lays  a  single  large,  white,  oblong-oval  egg,  and 
immediately  commences  the  duty  of  incubating.  It  is  one  of 
the  most  devoted  of  all  water-fowl  to  its  charge,  for  it  will  not 
be  scared  from  the  egg  by  any  demonstration  that  may  be 
made  in  the  way  of  throwing  rocks  or  yelling,  and  will  even 
die  as  it  sets  rather  than  take  to  flight,  as  I  have  frequently 
witnessed. 

"The  fulmar  lays  by  1st  to  oth  of  June.  The  egg  is  very 
palatable,  fully  equal  to  that  of  our  domestic  duck— even 
better.  The  natives  lower  themselves  over  the  clifts,  and 
gather  a  large  number  of  eggs  every  season  on  Saint  George's 
Island.* 


*  But  it  is  hazardous  -R-ork,  aud  these  people  on  St.  George  seldom  gather 
more  than  they  want  at  the  time  of  taking.  The  sensation  experience<l  by 
the  writer,  who  has  dangled  over  these  precipices  on  a  slight  thong  of 
raw-bide,  with  the  surf  boiling  three  or  four  hundred  feet  below,  and  loose 
rocks  rattling  down  from  above,  anyone  of  which  was  liable  to  destroy  life, 
is  one  not  to  be  expressed  by  language,  and  which,  I  think,  quite  sutlicient 
excuse  for  the  natives  to  be  content  with  just  as  few  eggs  as  possible. — H.  \N  .  E. 


19G  ALASKA. 

"  The  Lupus  uever  flies  in  flocks ;  it  pairs  early,  ami  is  then 
exceedingly  quiet.  I  have  never  heard  it  utter  a  sound  save  a 
low,  droning  croak,  wheu  disgorging  food  for  its  young. 

"  The  chick  comes  out  a  perfect  puff-ball  of  white  down, 
gaining  its  first  plumage  in  about  six  weeks.  It  is  a  dull  gray, 
black  at  first,  but  by  the  end  of  the  season  it  becomes  like  the 
parents  in  coloration,  only  mucli  darker  on  the  back  and  scap- 
ularies.  i 

"  They  are  the  least  edible  of  all  the  birds  about  the  islands. 
Like  others  of  the  family,  they  vomit  up  the  putrid  contents 
of  their  stomachs  upon  the  slightest  provocation." 

540.  Stei'corariiss  poinatorhinus,  Vieill.— Pomanne  JflV/er.    "Eaz- 

boi-uik.'' 
Larus  parasiticus,  Mey.  et  Wolf.    Tascli.  Dcutsch.,  11,490,  (1810.) 
Larus  crqndatus,  Gm.    L.N.,  1,602,(1788.)     {Qu.  tes  Sterc.  striatus 

Bpjss.) 
Lestris  striatus,  Eyton.     Br.  Birds,  53. 
Stercorarius  pomariDus,  Vieill.    Nouv.  Diet.  d'Hist.  Nat.,  xxxii, 

158,  (1819.)— CouES.    Proc.Pbil.  Acad.,  129,  (1863.) 
Stercorarius pomatorMnus,  Coues.     Key,  309,  (1872.) 
Cataractes  potnarinus,  Steph.    Gen.  Zool.,  xiii,  216,  pi.  24,  (1825.) 
Cojirotheres  pomarinus,  Reich,  Syst.  Av.,  52,  (1.580.) 
Cataracies  parasita  var.  camtscliaiica,  Pallas'.     Zoog.  Rosso-As., 

ii,  312,(1811.) 

''A  rare  visitor.  The  specimen  secured  was  the  only  one 
seen  on  the  islands.  It  was  found  on  the  high,  mossy  uplands, 
perched  in  a  listless  attitude  on  a  tussock  of  grass." 

541.  stercorarius  parasificus,  (Brunn.)  Gray. — Parasitic  Jagcr. 

Catharacta  parasitica,  Brunn.     Orn.  Bor.,  37,  (1764.) 
Larus  parasiticus,  LiNX.     Syst.  Nat.,  i,  226,  (176j.) 
Cataractes  parasiia,  Pall.     Zoog.  R.  A.,  ii,  310,  (1811.) 
Lestris  parasita,  Illiger.     Prod.,  273,  (1811.) 
Lestris  parasitica,  Keys  et  Blas.    Wirb.  Eur.,  1,  240,  (1840.) 
Stercorarius  parasiticus,  Gray.    Gen.  of  B.,  10,  6,52,  (1849.) — Lawr. 
B.  N.  A.,  839,  (1858.)— Coues.    Pr.  Phila.  Acad.,  133,  (1863.)— 
Ball  et  Baxn.    Tr.  Chicago  Acad.,  i,  303,  (1869.) 
Lestris  richardsoni,  Sw.     F.  B.  A.,  11,  433,  pi.  73,  (1831.) 
Stercorarius  richardsoni,  Coues.     Proc.  Phila.  Acad.,  135,  (1863.) 
Cataractes  richardsoni,  Macgillivray.   Man.  Orn.,  ii,  257,  (1842.) 
Catharacta  coprotheres,  Bruxx,      Orn.  Bor.,  38,  (1764.) 
Lestris  coprotheres,  DesMurs.     Traitd  Ool.,  551,  (1860.) 
Stercorarius  crepidatus,  Vieill.     Nouv.  Diet.,  xxxii,  155,  (1819.) 

(Not  of  Gmelin.) 
Lestris  crepidata,  Deglaxd.    Mem.  Soc.  Roy.  Lille,  108,  (1838.) 
Stercorarius  cepphus,  Sw.    F.  B.  A.,  ii,  432,    (1831.) 
Lestris  hardyi  et  spinicauda,  Bp.     Cousp.  Av.,  ii,  210,  (185G.) 


ALASKA.  197 

"I  have  seen  but  four  or  five  examples  of  this  species,  wliicli 
may  be  rated  as  au  infrequent  visitor.  It  may  be  found  upon 
the  grassy  uplands,  where  it  will  alight  and  stand  dozing  in  an 
indolent  attitude  for  hours.  No  one  of  the  three  species  of 
Stercorarhis  was  observed  to  breed  here.'' 

Numerous  eggs  of  this  species  from  the  barren  grounds  of 
the  Anderson  River  region,  and  the  arctic  coast  to  the  east- 
ward, offer  the  following  characters :  The  ground  color  is  as 
various,  and  of  the  same  shades,  as  that  already  mentioned 
under  head  of  Numcnius  horealis,  and  in  fact  the  whole  aspect 
of  the  egg,  markings  included,  is  quite  similar.  But  although 
pointed,  they  have  not  the  peculiar  pyriform  shape  usual  among 
Limicokv,  I  find  no  specimens  heavily  marked  at  the  butt, 
though  the  tendency  is  to  a  wreath  by  confluence  around 
the  larger  end.  In  some  specimens  the  markings  are  all  small 
and  scratchy,  and  distributed  with  "uniform  irregularity  "over 
the  whole  surface.  A  certain  proportion  of  stone-gray  shell- 
markings  always  appears  to  accompanj-  the  various  chocolate 
and  other  browns  of  the  surface.  Specimens  range  from  2.40 
X  1.70  to  2.00  X  1.50,  averaging  nearer  the  former  dimension. 

The  eggs  of  the  next  species  cannot  be  distinguished  from 
those  of  the  present  with  certainty,  since,  though  they  average 
less  in  size,  the  larger  specimens  overlap  the  measurements  of 
>even  average  parasiticus.  A  fair  specimen  is  2.10  x  I.-jO  ;  the 
smallest  examined  measured  only  1.90  x  1.10. 

542.    Stercorarius  biiflToiii,  (Boie.)    Covv:s.—Lo)i[/-faUed  Jciger. 
?  Catlmracta  ce2)j)luis,  Bi:rxx.     Oru.  Bor.,  36,  (17(54.) 
Lesbis  cepphtts,  Keys  et  .Blas.     Wirb.  Eur.,  i,  240,  (1840.) 
Stercorarius  apphus,  Gkay.     Geu.  of  B.,  iii,  652,  (1849.) — L.vwi:. 

B.N. 
A.,  840,  (1858.)— CoUES.  Proc.  Pbila.  Acad.,  243,  (1861.) 
?  Hams  parasiticus,  Lath.    Ind.  Oru.,  ii,  819,  (1790.) 
Lestris  parasiticus,  Temm.     Man.  Oru.,  iv,  501,  (1840.)— Sw.  & 

Rich.  F.  B.  A.,  ii,  430,  (1831.) 
Stercorarius      lomjicandatus,    Bkissox. — Yieill.      Xouv.    Diet., 

xxxii,  157,  (1819.) 
Lestris  loufjicaudatns,  Tiiomp.      Nat.  Hist.  Ireland,  iii,  399,  (1851.) 
Cataractis  hngicauilatus,  Macoill.     Man.  Oru.,  ii,  258,  (1842.) 
Lestris  iuffoni,  Boie.     Isis,  502-576,  (1822.) 
Stercorarius  buffoni.  Coves.    Proc.  Pliila.  Acad.,  136,  (1883,)— 

Dall  et  Banx.   Traus.  Chic.  Acad.,  i,  304,  (1869.)— CoUES.   Key 

N.   A.  Birds,  310,  1872. 
Lestris  lessoiii,  Degland.     Mem.  Soc.  Roy.  Lille,  C1838.) 
Lestris  crepidata,  Bkehm.     Niiturg.  Eur.  Yog.,  747,  (1823.) 

■"Seldom  seen.     The  specimen  in   my  collection  is  one  of 


198  ALASKA. 

the  ouly  two  I  ever  observed  ou  the  islands.  Wheu  I  came 
iipou  them,  July  29,  1872,  they  were  appareutly  feediug-  upon 
insects,  and  upon  a  small  black  berry  which  ripens  ou  the 
highlands,"'  (the  fruit  of  the  Empetrum  nigrum.) 

54".     L.ai'ilsg'SailCKS,  Bp.uxn. — Glaucous  Gull,   Bur(jomaster.    "Chikie." 

"  This  large,  handsome  bird  is  restricted  by  reason  to  Walrus 
Island  alone,  although  it  comes  sailing  over  and  around  all  the 
islands,  in  easj',  graceful  flight,  every  hour  of  the  day,  and  fre- 
quently, late  in  the  fall,  will  settle  down  by  hundreds  upon 
the  carcasses  ou  the  killing-grounds.  But  upon  Walrus  Island 
this  bird  is  at  home,  and  there  lays  its  eggs  in  neat  nests,  built 
of  sea-ferns  and  dry  grass,  placed  among  the  grass^^  tussocks 
on  the  center  of  the  island  : — there  are  no  foxes  here. 

"  It  remains  by  the  islands  during  the  whole  season.  Though 
it  is  sometimes  driven  by  the  ice  to  the  open  water  fifty  to  a 
hundred  miles  south,  it  returns  immediately  after  the  floe  dis- 
appears. 

"  The  '  chikie '  lays  as  early  as  the  1st  to  4th  of  June,  depos- 
iting three  eggs  usually  within  a  week  or  ten  days.  These 
eggs  are  large,  spherically  oval,  having  a  dark  grayish-brown 
ground,  with  irregular  patches  of  darker  brown-black.  They 
vary  somewhat  in  size,  but  the  shape  and  pattern  of  coloring  is 
quite  constant. 

"  The  young  hurfjomastcr  comes  from  the  shell  at  the  expira- 
tion of  three  weeks"  incubation,  in  a  pure-white,  thick  coat  of 
down,  which  is  speedily  supplanted  by  a  brownish-black  and 
gray  plumage,  with  which  the  bird  takes  flight,  having  nearly 
the  size  of  the  i^areut.  This  dark  coat  changes  within  the 
next  three  months  to  one  nearly  white,  with  the  lavender-gray 
back  of  the  adult;  the  legs  change  from  a  pale-grayish  tone  to 
the  rich  yellow  of  the  mature  condition,  and  the  bill  also  passes 
from  a  dull-brown  color  to  a  bright  yellow  with  a  red  spot  ou 
the  lower  mandible. 

"  It  has  a  loud,  shrill  cry,  becoming  soon  very  monotonous 
by  its  constant  repetition,  and  also  utters  a  low,  chattering 
croak  while  coasting. 

"It  is  a  very  neat  bird  about  its  nest,  and  keeps  its  plum- 
age in  a  condition  of  snowy  purity.  It  is  not  very  numerous; 
I  do  not  think  that  there  were  more  than  five  or  six  hundred 
nests  on  Walrus  Island  at  the  time  of  my  visit,  in  1S72." 


ALA.SKA.  109 

552.  Lai'Eis  iB'IdacityllEBS  var.  kotKebui,  (Bp.)    Covks.— Pacific  EiUi- 
wake.     "  Choniie-nausbkio  goverooskie." 
liissa    kotzehtd,  Bp.   Cou.sp.  Av.,   11,   22(3,  (1850.)— Coi;i:s.    Pr. 
Pbila.  Acad.,  305,  (iy62.)— CouES.    Pr.  Pbila.  Acad.,  207,  (18(iy.) 
Lams  tridactyhis,  Dall  &  Baxx.    Tr.  Chic.  Acad.,  1, 305,  (IbG'J.) 
Lants  trklacUjlm  var.  lcot:chui,  CouES,  Key,  314,  (1872.) 

We  have  called  attention,  in  our  publicatiou.s  above  quoted, 
to  the  fact  that  the  Xoitli  Pacific  kittiwake  has  the  hind  toe 
better  formed  than  that  of  the  Atlantic  bird;  and  thi.s  is  the 
sole  basis  of  the  supposed  species. 

Although  thus  so  similar  to  the  true  Larus  tridactyhis  that  it 
cannot  be  specifically  distinguished,  and  also  totality  distinct 
from  the  next  species,  there  has  been  a  strange  confusion  regard- 
ing it.  I  do  not  venture  now  to  add  to  the  foregoing  synon- 
ymy several  names  more  or  less  doubtfully  here  applicable.  i>o- 
naparte  quotes  as  synonymous,  Ji/.s.sa  «/it«  of  Bruch,  J.  f  O., 
1855,  285 ;  and  also  queries  B.  hrachyrhyncha  of  Bruch,  ibkJ.y 
1853,  103.  Xo  one  of  the  four  species  of  Eissa  described  by 
Mr.  Lawrence,  in  1858,  in  Baird's  work,  pp.  854,  Skiij,  belongs 
here. 

"  This  kittiwake  breeds  here  by  tens  of  thousands,  in  com- 
pany with  E.  hrevirostriSj  coming  at  the  same  time,  but  laying 
a  week  or  ten  days  earlier  ;  in  all  other  respects  it  corresponds 
in  habit,  and  is  in  just  about  the  same  number.  It  is  a  remark- 
ably constant  bird  in  coloration,  when  adult,  for  I  have  failed 
to  observe  the  slightest  variation  in  plumage  among  the  great 
numbers  here  under  my  notice. 

"  In  building  its  nest  it  uses  more  grass  and  less  mud-cement 
than  the  hrevirostris  does.  The  eggs  are  more  pointed  at  the 
small  end  and  lighter  in  the  ground-color,  with  numerous  spots 
and  blotches  of  dark  brown.  The  chick  is  difficult  to  distin- 
guish with  certainty  from  the  brevirostris,  and  it  is  not  until  two 
or  three  weeks  have  passed  that  any  difl'erence  can  be  noted  in 
the  length  of  bill  and  color  of  feet. 

"Like  Bissa  hrevirostris,  the  male  treads  the  femnle  on  the 
nest,  and  nowhere  else,  making  a  loud,  shrill,  screaming  sound 
during  the  ceremonj'." 

553.  LaviBS  brevii'osta'is,  (Bn\yDT.)—Sliori-'biUc(l   or  Bed-lcggcd  Kidi- 

icake.    •'  Goverooskie."' 
Eissa  hrevirostris,  Brandt. — Lawr.     B.  N.  A.,  855,  (1858.)— Daix 

&  Baxx.    Tr.  Chicago  Acad.,  i,  305,  (1869.) 
Larus  brcvirostris,  CouES.     Key  N.  A.  Birds,  315,  (1872.) 


200  ALASKA. 

Lams  hracliijrliijncltHS,  Gould.     P.  Z.  S.,  (July  25, 1843.)— Gould. 

Voy.  Snli)hur,  50,  pi.  34,  ( .)    Not  of  Richahl.sox. 

Hissa  hrculiyrhyitdia,  Bp.      Coiisp.  Av.,  ii,  228,  (18C6.) — CouES. 

Proc.  Pbila.  Acad.,  306,  (16(32.) 
Ehsa  mrca,L,x\yi{.    B.  X.  A.,  S55,  (1858.)    (Excl.Syu.    'Sot  Lams 

nirciis,  Pall.) 

This  excellent  species  will  instantly  be  distinguished  from  the 
preceding  by  its  short  bill,  and  especially  by  its  rich  coral,  ver- 
milion, or  lake-red  legs,  (drying  straw-yello\A\)  There  is  no 
possibility  of  confounding  the  t\To,  although  their  synonymy 
has  become  involved  to  such  an  extent  that  the  ta.sk  of  disen- 
tangling it  is  almost  hopeless.  The  names  above  quoted  are  of 
unquestionable  pertinence  here ;  several  others  that  might  be 
quoted  are  preferably  left  untouched. 

"This  beautiful  gull,  one  of  the  most  elegant  of  birds  on  the 
wing,  seems  to  favor  these  islands  with  its  presence  to  the  ex- 
clusion of  other  land,  coming  here  by  tens  of  thousands  to  breed. 
It  is  especially  abundant  on  Saint  George's  Island.  It  is  cer- 
tainly by  far  the  most  attractive  of  all  the  gulls ;  its  short,  sym- 
metrical bill,  large  hazel  eye,  with  crim.sou  lid.s,  and  bright-red 
feet,  contrasting  richly  with  the  snowy-white  plumage  of  the 
head,  neck,  and  under  parts. 

"Like  Lams  glaucus,  this  bird  remains  about  the  islands 
during  the  whole  season,  coming  on  the  cliffs  for  the  purpose  of 
nest-building,  breeding  by  the  9th  of  May,  and  deserting  the 
bluffs  when  the  young  are  fully  fledged  and  ready  for  flight, 
early  in  October. 

"It  is  much  more  cautious  and  prudent  than  the  'arrie,'  for 
its  nests  are  placed  on  almost  inaccessible  shelves  and  points, 
so  that  seldom  can  a  nest  be  reached  unless  a  person  is  lowered 
down  to  it  by  a  rope  passed  over  the  cliff. 

"Xest-building  is  commenced  by  this  bird  early  in  May,  and 
completed,  usually,  not  much  before  the  first  of  July.  It  uses 
dry  grass  and  moss,  cemented  with  mud,  which  it  gathers  at 
the  margin  of  the  small  fresh- water  sloughs  and  ponds  scattered 
over  the  islands.  The  nest  is  solidly  and  neatly  put  up,  the 
parent  birds  working  in  the  most  diligent  and  amiable  miriuuer. 

"Two  eggs  are  the  usual  number,  although  occasionally  three 
will  be  found  in  the  nest.  If  these  eggs  are  removed,  the  female 
will  renew  them,  like  the  'arrie,'  in  the  course  of  another  week 
or  ten  days.  They  are  of  the  size  and  shape  of  the  common 
hen's  egg,  but  colored  with  a  dark-gray  ground,  spotted  and 
blotched  with  sepia-brown  patches  and  dots.     Once  in  a  w^hile 


ALASKA.  201 

an  egg  will  have  ou  its  smaller  eud  a  large  number  of  suffused 
blood-red  spots. 

"Both  parents  assist  iu  tbe  labor  of  incubation,  wliich  lasts 
from  twenty-four  to  twenty-six  days.  The  cbick  comes  out  with 
a  pure-white  downy  coat,  and  pale  whitish-gray  bill  and  feet, 
resting  helplessly  iu  the  nest  while  its  feathers  grow.  During 
this  period  it  is  a  comical-looking  object.  The  natives  capture 
them  now  and  pet  them,  having  a  number  every  year  scattered 
through  the  village,  where  they  become  very  tame,  and  it  is  not 
until  fall,  when  cold  weather  sets  in  and  makes  them  restless, 
that  they  leave  their  captors  and  fly  away  to  sea. 

'•  This  bird  is  very  constant  in  its  specific  characters.  Among 
thousands  of  them  I  have  never  observed  any  variation  in  the 
coloration  of  the  bills,  feet,  or  plumage  of  the  mature  birds,  with 
one  exception.  There  is  a  variety,  seldom  seen,  iu  which  the 
feet  are  nearly  yellow,  or  rather  yellow  than  red,  and  the  edge 
of  the  eyelid  is  black  instead  of  scarlet ;  there  is  also  a  dark 
patch  back  of  each  eye.  The  color  of  the  feet  is  probably  an 
accidental  individual  peculiarity;  the  dark  eye-patch  and 
absence  of  bright  color  from  the  eyelids  may  depend  upon 
seasoii.'' 

606.  Colyinbns  avcVicvis,  (h.)— Black-throated  Direr. 

It  is  interesting  to  observe  that  this  bird  is  the  true  C.  arcticus, 
and  not  var.  pacijicus,  which  might  have  been  expected  to  occur. 
This  is  sutficientlj'  attested  by  the  measurements  of  a  line  adult 
specimen,  No.  498  of  Mr.  Elliott's  collection.  Length,  about  31 
inches;  wing,  12;  bill,  along  culmen,  2f|;  along  gape,  4;  its 
depth  at  base,  .80 ;  tarsus,  3i ;  middle  toe  and  claw,  4.  The 
bill  is  quite  stout,  with  the  culmen  convex  throughout,  showing 
nothing  of  the  slender,  straight,  or  almost  recurved  shape  char- 
acteristic of  var.  pacijicus. 

We  find  nothing  respecting  this  species  iu  Mr.  Elliott's  MSS. 
It  was  the  only  one  seen  by  him.  It  was  found  dead,  cast  upon 
the  sand-beach  at  Zapadnie,  Saint  George's  Island,  and  brought 
to  Mr.  E.  by  the  natives,  who  ditfered  among  themselves  as  to 
whether  they  had  ever  noticed  it  before  about  the  islauds.  At 
all  events,  it  is  seldom  seen  there. 

610.    Podiceps  g'riseig'Ciia,  (Bodd.) — Bed-neclccd  Grche. 

As  in  the  case  of  the  last  species,  the  present  is  of  the  typical 
form  rather  than  of  the  Xorth  American  variety.  The  diflference, 
as  stated  in  our  synopsis,  (Pr.  Phila.  Acad.,  1862,  232,)  lies  iu 


202  ALASKA. 

the  size  and  coloration  of  the  bill.  In  true  grisclfjcna  the  bill  is 
little,  if  any,  over  1.50  inches  along  the  culmen,  or  2.00  along 
the  gape,  and  the  yellow  is  either  entirely  restricted  to  the  base, 
or  only  extends  thence  a  little  on  the  edge  of  the  under  man- 
dible. In  var.  liolbolU  the  above-mentioned  measurements  of 
the  bill  are  respectively  1.90  and  2.40,  and  much  or  most  of  the 
under  mandible,  with  the  cutting-edges  of  the  upper,  are  yellow. 
In  the  present  specimen,  the  culuien  measures  1. GO;  the  gape, 
2.15,  and  there  is  little  yellow,  excepting  at  the  base  of  the 
bill. 

Eggs  of  the  xVmerican  red-necked  grebe,  from  the  Ynlion 
and  other  interior  arctic  localities,  are  rough,  white,  either 
inclining  to  pale-greenish  or  with  buffy  discoloration,  aiid  of 
the  usual  narrowly-elongate  shape  common  in  the  family-.  They 
measure  from  2.10  to  2.35  in  length  by  1.25  to  1.45  in  breadth^ 
the  longer  eggs  not  always  being  proportionally  wide. 

"It  is  the  only  specimen  seen  during  my  residence  upon  the 
islands.  It  has  been  observed  before  by  the  natives,  who,  how- 
ever, affirm  that  it  is  uncommon." 

CIT.  FratercHia   coruiculata,   (Nau.m.)     Bkaxdt.— flbrwef?  Puffin. 

"Epatka." 
(J)Alca  arciica,  var.  B.,  Lath.     lud.  Orii.,  ii,  792,  (1790.) 
Lnnda  arctica,  Pall,    imrtim.,  Zoog.  E.  A.,  ii,  365,  (1811.) 
Mormon  corniculatiim,  Naum.     Isis,  782,  pi.  7,  f.  3,  4,  (1821.) — 

KiTTL.     Kupf.  Naturg.   Vog.  pi.  i,  fig.   1. — Dall    &    Bann. 

Trans.  Chic.  Acad.,  i,  308,  (1869.) 
Mormon  {FratercuJa)   corniculata,  Bp.     Comptes  Reudus,    774, 

(1856.) -Cass.,  in  Bd.  B.  N.  A.,  902,  (1858.) 
FratercuJa    {Ceratohlepliarum)    corniculata,    Brandt.      Bull.  Sc. 

Acad.  St.  Petersb.,  ii,  348,  (1837.) 
Fratercula  corniculata,  Gray.   Gen.  B.,  iii,  637,  pi.  174,  (1849.) — 

COUES.  Pr.  Phila.  Acad.,  1808.— CouES.  Key,  340,  (1872.) 
Lnnda  corniculata,  Schlegel.  M.  P.  B.,  ix,  Xerin.,  28,  (1867.) 
Lunda  {Ccratohlepharum)  corniculata,  Brandt.     Bull.  Sc.  Acad., 

St.  Petersb,,  vii,242,  (1869.) 
Alormon   (jlacialis,  Gould,  nee.  Leach.      B.    Eur.,  v,  pi.  404, 

(1837.)— AUD.     Oru.  Biog.,  iii,   549,  pi.   29.1,    (1835.)— Id.  B. 

Amer.,  vii,  23G,  pi.  463. 

An  egg  before  me  is  noticeably  more  elongate  than  that  of 
F.  arctica  or  of  J'',  cirrhata,  though  not  more  pointed.  The  shell 
is  rather  rough,  and  dead-white.  We  may  anticipate  that  in 
some  instances  a  few  obscure  obsolete  spots  may  appear,  as 
they  occasionally  do  in  the  eggs  of  jP.  arctica,  and,  doubtless, 
also  show  the  usual  discolorations  in  many  cases.  The  pres- 
ent specimen  measures  2.75  by  1.75. 


ALASKA.  203 

"  The  eye  never  fails  to  be  arrested  by  this  odd-looking  bird, 
with  its  great  shovel-like,  lemou-yellow  aud  red  bill,  as  it  sits 
squatted  in  glnm  silence  on  the  rocky  cliff-perches,  regarding 
approach  with  an  air  of  stolid  wonder.  It  seems  to  have  been 
fashioned  with  especial  regard  to  the  fantastic  and  comical. 

"  This  mormon,  in  common  with  one  other  species,  M.  cirrhata, 
comes  up  from  the  sea,  from  the  south,  to  the  cliffs  of  the 
islands  about  the  10th  of  May,  always  iu  pairs,  never  coming 
or  going  in  flocks.  It  makes  a  nest  of  dried  sea-feins,  grass, 
moss,  &c.,  far  back  or  down  in  some  deep,  rocky  crevice,  where 
the  egg  when  laid  is  generally  inaccessible — nothing  but  bhist- 
ing-powder  would  reach  it. 

"  It  lays  but  a  single  egg,  large,  oblong-oval,  pure  white, 
and,  contrary  to  the  custom  of  the  gnlls,  arries,  choochkies,  «S:c., 
when  the  egg  is  removed  the  sea-parrot  does  not  renew  it,  but 
deserts  the  nest,  perhaps  locating  elsewhere.  The  young  chick  I 
have  not  been  able  to  get — not  until  it  comes  out  fledged  and 
ready  for  flight  iu  August,  wheu  it  does  not  difter  materially 
from  its  parent.  The  species  leaves  the  islands  about  the  10th 
September. 

"This  bird  is  very  quiet  aud  unobtrusive;  it  does  not  come 
in  large  numbers  to  the  islands,  for  it  breeds  everywhere  else 
in  Bering  Sea.  Its  flight  is  performed  with  quick  and  rapid 
wing-beats,  iu  a  straight  and  steady  course.  There  is  no  ditter- 
ence  between  the  sexes  as  to  size,  shape,  or  plumage.'' 

619.  Fi-atercHla  ciirliata,  {Vaj.i..)  STEPU—Tx/ted  Puffin.  "  Tawpaw- 

kie." 
Jlca  chrhaia,  Pall.     Spic.  Zool.,  7,  pi.  1,  ii,  fij?.  1,  '->,  3,  (1769.) 
Landa  cirrhata,  Pall.      Zoog.   E.  A.,  ii.   363,  p.  82,  (1811.)— 

SciiLEG.    Mus.  Pays-Bas,  TriH.  27,  (1867.)— Coues.    Pr.  Phila. 

Acad.,  (1868.) 
Lunda  {Gijmnohlqyliariim)  cirrhata,  Brandt.  Bull.  Sc.  St.  Petersb., 

vii.,  244,(1867.) 
Fratercula  cirrhata,  Stepii.     Shaw's  Gen.  Zool.,  xiii,  40,  (1825.) 
Fratcrcula  {Ginnnoblejjharum)  cirrhata,  Bi:andt.     Bull.  Sc.  St. 

Peteisb.,ii,  349,  (1837.) 
Mormon  cirrhata,  y\VM.    Isis,  7Si,  pi.  7,  f.  1,  (1821.)— Cass.    B. 

N.  A.,  902,  (1858.)— Dall  &.  Banx.     Traus.  Chicago  Acad.,  i, 

308,  (1869.) 
Fratercula  carinata,  Yigors.    Zool.  Journ.,  iv,  358. 
Saomaiorhiua  lathami,  Bp.     P.  Z.  S.,  202,  pi.  44,  (1851.)— CouES. 

Pr.  Phila.  Acad.,  (1868.) 
Sagmatnrhina  labradoria,  Cass.     B.  X.  A.,  904,  (1658.)— Dall  &, 

Baxn.    Trans.  Chic.  Acad.,  i,  309,  (18G9.) 


204  ALASKA. 

As  Professor  Brandt  sboweil,  shortly  after  the  publication  of 
our  Monograph,  the  Sagniatorhina  lathami  of  Bonaparte  (^-^S*. 
labmdoria,  Cass.)  is  merely  the  young  of  this  species,  at  an  age 
before  the  bill  has  attained  its  final  shape  and  coloring.  Of 
this  fact  we  became  ourselves  aware  about  the  same  time,  from 
examination  of  various  si^ecimens  in  the  Smithsonian. 

The  genus,  of  course,  falls,  as  well  as  the  species.  In  our 
Monograph  we  were  so  far  wrong  as  to  assign  to  it  a  second 
supposed  species,  the  Ccrorhina  sucldciji  of  Oassiu,  which  is  the 
young  of  Ceratorhina  monocerata. 

"Comes  to  the  islands  at  the  same  time  as  F.  eorniculata, 
and  resembles  the  Epatkie  in  its  habits  generally.  It  lays  a 
single  large  white  egg,  of  a  rounded-oval  shape.  I  was  never 
able  to  see  a  newly-hatched  chick,  owing  to  tlie  retired  and  in- 
accessible nature  of  the  breeding-places.  Could  Walrus  Island 
be  visited  frequently  during  the  season,  interesting  observations 
might  be  made  there,  for  the  nests  are  more  easy  of  access. 
The  young  tawpawkie,  six  weeks  old,  resembles  the  parents 
exactly,  only  the  bill  is  lighter  colored,  and  the  plumes  on  the 
head  are  incipient.  This  is  the  only  place  where  the  birds  can 
be  daily  seen  and  watched  with  satisfactory  results.  I  took 
eggs  from  over  thirty  nests  in  July.  The  natives  say  it  is  very 
quarrelsome  when  mating,  its  cries  sounding  like  the  growling 
of  a  bear  as  they  issue  from  far  down  under  the  rocks  that 
cover  its  nest." 

The  egg  is  much  thicker  and  more  capacious  than  that  of 
F.  corniculata,  though  no  longer.  The  shell  is  rough,  dead- 
white,  and,  besides  the  frequent  discolorations,  shows  in  several 
specimens  very  pale,  obsolete  shell-markings  of  purplish  gray. 
{Several  specimens  measure  as  follows:  2.85  x  1.95;  2.80  x 
1.92;  2.75  x  2.00;  2.G5  x  1.95. 

■C21.  Plialeris  pslftacnla,  (Escii.)  TE-sni.—rcoToquei  Jul:    "  Baillie 

Brusbkie." 
Alca  psittacida,  Pall.     Spic.  Zool.,  fasc.  \,  l:>,  pi.  2,  pi.  5,  f.  4,  5,  G, 

(17G0.) 
Lunda  psittacuJa,  Pall.     Zoog.  Rosso-As.,  ii,  .36G,  pi.  84,  (li^ll.) 
Phaleris  psUtaculu,  Temm.     Mau.  Oru.,  i,  \\'2,  (1>20.)— Coues.    Key 

N.  A.  Birds,  342,  fig.  222,  (1872.) 
Omhria  jysittacHla,   Escilsch.     Zool.    Atlas,  iv,  3,   pi.   17,  (1831.)— 

Brandt.    Bull.  Sc.  Acad.  St.  Petersb.,  ii,  348,  (1837.)— In.  Ibid.,  vii, 

237,  (18G9.)— Cass.    B.  X.  A.,  410,  (1858.)-Elliot.    B.  X.  A.,  pt.  i, 

pi.  70. 
Simorhyncliits  jisiitaciihis,  SciiLEG.     Mns.  Pays-Bas,  ix,  24,  (1867.) — 

CouES.     Proc.  Phila.  Acad.,  (18Gd.) 


ALASKA.  205 

Xot  only  on  account  of  tbe  form  of  the  bill,  whicb,  tliougli 
singular  among-  AlcUhc,  is  not  more  different  from  that  of  some 
others  than  these  are  among  themselves,  but  also  in  conse- 
«]uence  of  a  different  mode  of  life,  to  which  the  shape  of  the  bill 
fits  it,  as  attested  by  various  observers,  we  now  place  the  bird 
in  a  separate  genus  from  Simorhynchus,  under  which  we  formerly 
included  it.  The  species  is  said  to  live  chiefly  upon  bivalve 
mollusks,  such  as  ^fytilus,  &c.,  for  opening  which  its  bill  is 
adapted;  and  Professor  Brandt  notes  the  curious  analogy 
afforded,  in  this  respect,  with  K(vmato])iis,  as  compared  with 
allied  Charadrine  genera. 

Mr.  Gray  adduces  a  reference  to  the  unexpected  occurrence 
of  this  species  in  Sweden. 

"This  quaintly-beaked  bird  is  quite  common  on  the  Prybilov 
Group,  and  can  be  obtained  at  Saint  George's  in  considerable 
numbers.  It  comes  here  early  in  ^Vlay,  and  locates  in  a  deep 
chink  or  crevice  of  some  inaccessible  cliff,  where  it  lays  a  single 
egg  and  rears  its  young.  It  is  very  quiet  and  undemonstrative 
during  the  pairing-season,  its  only  note  being  a  low,  sonorous, 
vibrating  whistle.  Like  Simorhynchus  cristatellus,  it  will  breed 
in  company  with  the  '  choochkie,'  but  will  not  follow  that  lively 
relative  back  upon  the  uplands,  the'baillie  brushkie' being 
always  found  on  the  shore-line,  and  there  only. 

"  The  egg,  which  is  laid  upon  the  bare  earth  or  rock,  is  pure 
white,  oblong-ovate,  measuring  2h  by  1^  inches.  It  is  exceed- 
ingly difdcult  to  obtain,  owing  to  the  birds'  great  caution  in 
hiding,  and  care  in  selecting  some  deep  and  winding  crevice  in 
the  face  of  the  cliff'.  At  the  entrance  to  this  nesting-cavern  the 
parents  will  sometimes  squat  down, and  sit  silently  for  hours  at 
a  time,  if  undisturbed. 

"  It  does  not  fly  about  the  islands  in  flocks,  and  seems  to  lead 
a  quiet,  independent  life  by  itself,  caring  nothing  for  the  society 
of  its  kind.  The  young,  when  first  hatched,  I  have  not  seen, 
but  by  the  10th  to  the  loth  of  August  they  may  be  observed 
coming  out  for  the  first  time  from  their  secure  retreats,  and 
taking  to  wing  as  fully  fledged  and  as  large  as  their  parents. 

"  They  take  their  departure  from  the  20th  of  August  to  the 
1st  of  September,  and  go  out  upon  the  North  Pacific  for  the 
winter,  where  they  find  their  food,  which  consists  oi  ampUpoda 
and  fish-fry.  I  have  never  seen  one  among  the  thousands  that 
were  around  nie  when  on  the  islands  '  opening '  the  bivalve- 
shells,  such  as  mussels,  &c.,  as  stated  by  Professor  Brandt.     It 


206  ALASKA. 

feeds  at  sea,  flying*  out  every  morning,  returning  in  the  after- 
noon to  its  nest  and  mate." 

The  egg  of  Phalcris  psittacida  is  about  as  large  as  a  small 
hen's  egg,  which  it  resembles,  although  averaging  more  elon- 
gate. The  shape,  however,  is  extremely  variable;  thus,  one 
measures  2.25  by  1.50,  and  another  2.35  by  only  1.45,  the  latter 
being  remarkably  narrow,  elongate,  and  pointed.  The  shell  is 
minutely  granular,  and  rough  to  the  touch.  It  is  white,  un- 
marked, but  often  found  variously  soiled  and  discolored,  some- 
times by  mechanical  effect,  and  sometimes  by  fluids  of  the 
oviduct  or  cloaca.  ]Mr.  Elliott  says,  "  So  efiectually  do  these 
birds  secrete  their  eggs  in  the  deep  recesses  of  cliff  crevices  and 
chinks  that  I  was  unable  to  obtain  more  than  four  perfect  speci- 
mens, although  several  hundred  '  baillie  brushkies '  were  breed- 
ing on  the  cliffs,  each  pair  marked  by  myself,  (in  daily  observa- 
tion,) close  by  the  village,  at  Saint  George's  Island,  during  the 
summer  of  1873.  Xothing,  save  blasting-powder,  or  similar 
agency,  can  open  the  basaltic  crevices  in  which  the  bird  hides, 
and,  of  course,  resort  to  this  action  would  also  destroy  the  egg.^^ 

622.    SaznorSiyBicSaias    ci-istatelliis,    (Pall.)    Meur.— CrestoZ   Auk. 

"  Cauooskie." 
AJca  cristatcUa,  Pall.    Spic.  Zool.  fasc,  v,  20,  pi.  3,  pi.  5,  figs.  7, 

8,9,  (1769.) 
Uria  crisfatdia,  Pall.     Zoog.  Eosso.-As.,  ii,  370,  (1811.)    (Escl. 

syn.    Alca  camtschatica,  Lepech.) 
Simorhi/nchiist  cr'isaMhis,  Merrem. — Schl.      M.  P.  B.,   ix,   25, 

(1867.)— CouES.    Proc.  Pbila.  Acad.,  (1863.)— COUES.    Key  N. 

A.  Birds,  342,  figs.  223,  224,  (1872.) 
Simorhi/vchus   {Tylorltamplius)    crisiatellus,    Braxdt.     Bull.   Sc. 

Acad.  St.  Petersb.,  vii,  223,  (1869.) 
TijJorhamplms  cristateUits,  Braxdt.     Oj;.  c'lt.,  ii,  348,  (1337.) 
Phaleris  cristatellus,  Steph.     Shaw's  Gen.  Zool.,  xiii,  47,  pi.  5, 

(1825.)     (Nee  Temm.) — Schrexck.     Eeise  Ainur-Laud,  i,  yt. 

ii,  500,  pi.  16,  figs.  4,  5. 
riialeris  (SimorJujnchns)  cristateUus,  Cass.     B.N. A.,  906,  (1858.) 
Uria  duhia,  Pall.    Zoog.  E.  A.,  ii,  371,  (1811.) — {Avis  ptil.  hyem. 

vestifa,  sec.  Braxdt.) 
Phaleris  diihia,  Brandt.    Bull.  Sc.  Acad.  St.  Petersb.,  ii,  347, 

(1837.) 
Tylorliamplius  clnhius,  BoNAP.     Comptes  Eendus,  xlii,774,  (1856.) 
Simorhynchtis  duhitis,  CouES.    Proc.  Pliila.  Acad.,  (1868.) 
Alca  tetracHla,FA-LL.    Spic. Zool. fasc, v, 23, jil. 4,(1769,)  (Junior.) 
Uria  tetracula,  Pall.    Zoog.  E.  A.,ii,  371,  (1811.) 
Phaleris  tetracula,  Step.    GeuH.  Zool.,  xiii,  46,  (1825.)— Brandt. 

Bull.  Sc.  Acad.  St.  Petersb.,  ii,  347,  (1837.) 


ALASKA.  207 

Tylorhamphus   idracuhis,  Boxap.     Comptes  Ecudus,  xlii,  774, 

(1856.) 
I'haJeris  {Tylorhanqyhii-s)  ieiracula,  Cass.    B.N.  A.,  907,  (IS.J8.) 
Shnorliyncus   tetraciilus,  CouES.     Proc.  Pbila.   Acad.,   {l>i(Ji.) — 

CouES.     Key  N.  A.  B.,  34-2,  (1872. ) 
riialeris  jisittactda,  Temm.    Man.  d'Oruitb.,  i,  p.  cxii,  (18:20.) 
riialeris  supcrciliata,  A\:d.     Oiu.  Biog.,  iv,  pi.  402,  (1839.)  (Xcc 

LiciiT. ;  uec  Bp.) 

"  This  fantastic-looking  bird,  conspicuous  by  reason  of  its  curl- 
ing crest  and  bright  crimson  bill,  breeds  in  company  uitli  the 
*S.  microceroSy  but  in  no  number  whatever  compared  with  the 
'choochkie' — a  few  thousand  pairs  only  at  Saiut  Paul's,  and 
relatively  more  on  Saint  George's,  of  course. 

"  It  makes  its  appearance  iu  early  May,  and  repairs  to  chinks 
and  holes  in  the  rocky  clifits,  or  deep  down  under  large  bowlders 
and  rough  basaltic  shingle,  to  lay,  making  no  nest  whatever, 
depositing  the  egg  upon  the  bare  earth  or  rock.  But  so  well 
do  these  birds  succeed  in  secreting  it  that,  although  I  was  con- 
stantly upon  the  ground  where  several  thousand  pairs  were 
laying,  I  was  unable  to  successfully  overturn  the  rocks  (under 
which  they  hide)  and  get  more  than  four  eggs,  the  result  of 
over  a  hundred  attempts. 

•'The  note  of  the  'canooskie' while  mating  is  a  loud,  clanging, 
houMike  sound ;  at  all  other  seasons  they  are  silent. 

"  The  Simorhynchus  cristatellus  lays  but  one  egg,  and  the 
parents  take  turns,  I  am  inclined  to  believe,  in  the  labor  of 
incubation  and  in  feeding  their  young.  The  egg  is  rough,  pure 
white,  but  with  frequent  discolorations,  and,  compared  with 
size  and  weight  of  the  parent,  very  large.  It  is  an  elongated 
oblong-oval,  the  smaller  end  being  quite  pointed.  Length, 
2.10;  width,  1.40. 

"  I  have  not  seen  a  chick,  nor  could  I  get  any  notes  upon  its 
appearance  from  the  natives,  but  I  have  shot  the  young  as 
they  came  out  for  the  first  time  from  their  dark,  secure  hiding- 
places,  fully  fledged,  with  exception  of  crest,  being  by  this 
time,  the  10th  to  15th  August,  as  large  as  the  old  birds,  and  of 
the  same  color  and  feathering. 

"The  'canooskie,'  like  its  cousin,  the  'choochkie,'  has  no  sex- 
ual variation  in  size  or  plumage.  3Iales  and  females  are,  to  all 
external  view,  precisely  alike. 

"  The  bright  crimson  bill,  however,  varies  considerably,  not 
in  color,  but  in  its  relative  strength  and  curve,  the  slenderer 
bill  not  being  confined,  as  far  as  I  could  see,  to  the  yonng 


208  ALASKA. 

birds,   some  old  ones    having    the  light  and   more  pointed 
beak." 

We  do  not  hesitate  now  to  follow  Professors  Schlegel  and 
Brandt  in  uniting  the  duhla  and  tetracula  with  the  cristatclla  of 
Pallas.  We  were  never  satisfied  of  the  distinction  of  the 
former,  and  in  our  Monograph  expressed  the  strongest  doubts 
of  its  validity  as  a  species.  The  other,  however,  we  fully  be- 
lieved, until  recently,  to  be  a  good  species. 

624.  Siniorliyiicliiis  peisilliis,  (Pall.)  Coues. — Least,  or  Knob-UUedf 

Auk.     "  Chooch-kie." 
?  ?  Alca  pygnma,  Gmelix.     Syst.  Nat.,  i,  SJiS,  {V7QQ.)—{Nonne 

potius  =.  Alca  camtschatica,  Lepecii.,  jiw.;  h.  e.  =  S.  cassini, 

Nob.  ?) 
FhaJeris  pygmcm,  Braxdt.     Bull.  Sc.  Acad.  St.  Petersb.,  ii,  347, 

(1837.)     (Escl.  syn.  A.  pygmwa,  Gm.) 
Tylorhampltus  pygnuea,  Bp.     Comtes  Eeudns,  xlii,  774,  (1806.) 

(^Uria  pHsUla,  Pall.) 
Symorliynchus pygma'us,  ScnL.     Miis.  Pays-Bas,  ix,  23,  (1887.) 
Uria  pu8illa,  Pall.     Zoog.  R.  A.,  ii,  373,  pi.  70,(1811.)     (ExcL 

syn.) 
Phaleris  pusilla,  Cass.    Proc.  Pbila.  Acail.,  324,  (1862.) 
Phaleris  (Ciceronia)  pusilla,  Cass.    B.  N.  A.,  909,  (1858.) 
Simorhynchus  pusillns,  CouES.    Pr.  Phila.  Acad.,  (1868.) — Brandt. 

Bull.  Sc.  Acad.  St.  Petersb.,  vii,  230,  (1869.)— CoUES.     Key  N. 

A.  B.,  343,  figs.  227,228,  (1872.) 

Phaleris  corniculata,  Eschsch.     Zool.  Atl.,  4,  pi.  16,  ( .) 

Phaleris  microceros,  Brandt.      Bull.  Sc.  Acad.  St.  Petersb.,  ii, 

346,  (1837.) 
Phaleris  (Ciceronia)  microceros,  Cass.    B.  N.  A.,  908,  (1858.) 
Ciceronia  microceros,  Reiciiexbach. 

Simorhyncliits  microceros,  Coues.    Proc.  Phila.  Acad.,  (1868.) 
Phaleris  nodirostra,  Bp.     Corap.  &  Geog.  List,  66,  (1838.) 
Ciceronia  nodirostris,  Bp.     Couiptes  Reudus,  xlii,  774,  (1856.) 

There  is  now  no  reasonable  doubt  of  the  identity  of  the 
names  above  quoted,  excepting  Alca  injgmcm,  which  remains 
unidentified.  It  may  have  been  this  species,  but  most  probably 
it  was  the  young  of  8.  cayntschaiicus,  in  the  same  state  as  the 
young  bird  we  recently  called  S.  cassini.  The  strong  doubt  we 
expressed  in  our  Monograph  respecting  the  distinction  between 
the  microceros  or  nodirostris  of  authors  and  the  piisiUa  of  Pallas, 
has  been  confirmed. 

"  This  little  bird  is  the  most  characteristic  of  the  water-fowl 
frequenting  the  Prybilov  Islands,  to  which  it  repairs  every 
summer  by  millions  to  breed,  with  its  allies,  S.  cristatella,  (ca- 
nooskie,)  and  the  Phaleris  psittacula. 

"  It  is  comically  indifferent  to  the  pioximity  of  man,  and  can 


ALASKA.  209 

be  approached  almost  within  an  arm's  length  before  taking 
tlight,  sitting  upright  and  eyeing  one  with  an  air  of  great  wis- 
dom, combin(Hl  with  profound  astonishment. 

"Usually  about  the  1st  or  1th  of  May,  every  year,  the 
choochkie  makes  its  first  appearance  around  the  islands  for  the 
season,  in  small  flocks  of  a  few  hundreds  or  thousands,  hover- 
ing over  and  now  and  then  alighting  upon  the  water,  sporting 
one  with  another,  in  apparent  high  glee,  and  making  an  inces- 
sant low  chattering  sound.  By  the  1st  to  the  Gth  June  they 
have  arrived  in  greatest  number,  and  they  then  commence  to 
lay.  They  frequent  the  loose  stony  reefs  and  bowlder-bars  on 
Saint  Paul's,  together  with  the  cliflfs  on  both  islands,  and  an 
area  of  over  five  square  miles  of  basaltic  shingle  on  Saint 
George's.  To  the  last  island  they  come  in  greatest  number. 
There  are  millions  of  them.  They  make  no  nests,  but  lay  a 
single  Qgg  each,  far  down  below  among  loose  rocks,  or  they 
deposit  it  deep  within  the  crevices  or  chinks  in  the  faces  of  the 
bluffs. 

"Although,  owing  to  their  immense  numbers,  they  seem  to 
be  in  a  state  of  great  confusion,  yet  they  pair  off  and  conduct 
all  of  their  billing  and  cooing  down  under  the  rocks,  upon  the 
spot  chosen  for  incubation,  making  during  this  interesting 
period  a  singular  grunting  or  croaking  sound,  more  like  a 
'devil's  fiddle' than  anything  I  have  ever  heard  outside  of 
city  limits. 

"A  walk  over  their  breeding-grounds  at  this  season  is  exceed- 
ingly interesting  and  amusing,  as  the  noise  of  hundreds  of 
these  little  birds  directly  under  foot  gives  rise  to  an  endless 
variation  of  sound,  as  it  comes  up  from  the  stony  holes  and 
caverns  below,  while  the  birds  come  and  go,  in  and  out,  with 
bewildering  rapidity,  comically  blinking  and  fluttering. 

"  The  male  birds,  and  many  of  the  females,  regularly  leave 
the  breeding-grounds  in  the  morning  and  go  off  to  sea,  where 
they  feed  on  small  water-shrimps  and  sea-fleas,  {Aviphipoda,) 
returning  to  their  nests  and  sitting  partners  in  the  evening. 

"The  choochkie  lays  a  snigle  pure-white  egg,  exceedingly 
variable  in  size  and  shape,  usually  oblong-oval,  with  the  smaller 
end  somewhat  pointed.  I  have  several  specimens  almost  si)her- 
ical,  and  others  drawn  out  into  an  elongated  ellipse;  but  the 
oblong-oval,  with  the  pointed  smaller  end,  is  the  prevailing 
type.  The  egg  is  verj'  large,  compared  with  the  size  and  weight 
of  the  little  parent.  Average  length,  1.5a ;  width,  1.12.  The 
14  AL 


210  ALASKA. 

general  aspect  is  mucli  like  that  of  a  pigeon's  egg,  excepting 
the  roughness  of  the  shell. 

"  The  chick  is  covered  with  a  thick,  nniform,  dark-grayish- 
black  down,  which  is  speedily  succeeded  by  feathers,  all  darker 
than  those  of  the  parent,  when  it  takes  flight  from  the  islands 
for  the  year  six  weeks  after.  The  parents  feed  their  young  by 
disgorging,  and  when  the  young  birds  leave,  they  are  as  large 
and  heavy  as  the  old  ones.  I  am  strongly  inclined  to  think 
that  the  male  bird  feeds  the  female  while  incubating,  but  have 
not  been  able  to  verify  this  supposition  by  observation,  as  the 
birds  are  alwavs  hidden  from  sight  at  the  time." 


'&' 


634.  Lonivm  troile  var.  califoi'iiica,  (Bry.)  Coves.-:— Murre  Guille- 

mof. 
Ceppluts  lomvia,  Pall.     Zoog.  R.  A.,  ii,  345,  (1811.) 
Uria  troile,  Newb.     Pac.  R.  R.  Rep.,  vi,  pt.  iv,  110,  (1857.) 
Caiaractes  californicus,  Bryaxt.     Proc.  Bost.  Soc.  ll,*fig.  3,  5,  (1861.) 
Lomvia  calif ornica,  CouES.     Proc.  Pbila.  Acad.,  fig.  16,  (1868.) 
Lomvia  troile  var.  californica,  Coues.     Key  N.  A.  Birds,  346.  (1£C2.) 

All  the  Murres  of  the  troile  type  we  have  seen  from  the  North 
Pacific  agree  in  possessing  a  particular  shape  of  the  bill,  readily 
distinguishable  from  that  presented  by  the  Atlantic  birds. 
While  we  would  by  no  means  insist  upon,  or  even  admit,  that 
this  is  a  specific  character,  especially  since  we  have  no  doubt 
that  some  of  the  circumpolar  colonies  of  these  birds  will  show 
an  intermediate  style,  we  think  it  as  well  to  recognize  the  char- 
acter by  a  varietal  name.  The  shape  is  diflicult  to  describe  in 
words:  the  gonydeal  angle  is  stronger,  pointed,  and  more  pro- 
tuberant, the  gonys  straighter  and  more  decidedly  ascending, 
the  culmen  less  deflected  at  the  tip,  and  the  commissure  conse- 
quently straighter  than  are  these  several  points  in  true  troile. 
It  is,  in  short,  some  approach  to  the  configuration  of  the  bill  in 
L.  scarbag,  {hriinnichii  of  authors.) 

"  Limited  numbers  of  the  Californian  guillemot  are  found 
occasionally  perched  on  the  clitfs  with  the  '«>Tie;'  t^ey  can 
only  be  distinguished  at  a  slight  distance  by  a  practiced  eye, 
for  they  resemble  their  allies  so  closely  and  conform  so  strictly 
to  their  habits,  that  it  will  be  but  repeating  the  description  of 
the  L.  arra,  given  here,  should  I  attempt  it.  The  largest  gath- 
ering of  these  birds  I  have  ever  seen  at  any  one  place  on  the 
islands  was  a  squad  of  about  fifty,  at  the  high  blufts  on  Saint 
George's,  last  summer;  but  they  are  generally  scattered  by 
ones,  twos,  and  threes,  among  thousands  and  teus  of  thousands 
of  the  arra." 


ALASKA.  211 

635.  L.omvia  arra,  (Pall.)  Covus.—Thklc-hiUed  GuiUemot.    "Anie." 
Cepphus  arra,  Pall.     Zoog.  R.-A.,  ii,  347,  (1811.) 
Uria  arra,  Cass.    Pioc.  Pbila.  Acad.,  324,  (1862.) 
(Also,  TJria  hriinniclni,  &c.,  of  authors  refeniug  to  tbe  North  Pacific 
thick-billed  bird.) 

It  is  au  iDterestiug  fact  that  these  specimeus,  luiqnestionably 
of  tbe  "thick-billed"  guillemot,  do  uot  exhibit  the  extreme 
shortness  and  stoutness  of  bill  showii  by  those  of  the  North 
Atlantic,  the  bill  being  almost  exactly  intermediate.  With  the 
chord  of  culmen  about  1|  inches  long,  the  depth  of  the  bill 
opposite  the  nostrils  is  hardly,  or  not.  -§  of  an  inch,  and  thus 
much  less  than  half  as  long,  instead  of  about  half  as  long. 
The  gape  is  about  3  inches.  While  the  bill  shows  the  dilated 
and  denuded  basal  portion  of  the  maxillary  tomium,  character- 
istic of  the  species,  this  raised,  naked  border  is  uot  yellowish, 
but  of  a  peculiar  glaucous  bluish-gray  color.  The  tip  of  the 
bill  is  less  hooked  than  in  true  '■'■hrilnnichii,^^  though  more  so 
than  in  troile.  The  modification  of  the  bill  appears  somewhat 
singularly  analogous  to  that  which  takes  place  in  var.  ealifor- 
nica  as  compared  with  true  iro'ile. 

This  bird  is,  of  course,  the  true  arra  of  Pallas,  (a  name  ap- 
parently derived  from  the  Eussian  vernacular,)  whatever  be  its 
relationship  to  the  Atlantic  bird.  We  should  not  be  surprised 
if  some  of  the  circumpolar  forms  were  to  connect  the  extremes 
of  hrilnnichii  and  iroile  by  insensible  gradations. 

"The  great  egg-bird  of  the  North  Pacific,  frequenting  these 
islands  by  millions.  This  Uria  aud  one  other,  the  var.  califor- 
nica,  are  the  only  birds  of  the  genus  found  here,  but  the  latter 
is  in  comparatively  no  number  whatever,  not  one  being  seen 
where  a  thousand  of  the  former  are  visible  at  once. 

"  They  appear  very  early  in  the  season,  but  do  not  begin  to 
lay  until  the  18th  or  25th  of  June,  and  the  natives  tell  me  that 
in  open,  mild  winters  these  birds  are  seen  in  straggling  flocks 
all  around  the  islands.  I  feel  quite  well  assured  that  all  the 
individuals  do  not  migrate  from  this  sea  and  the  vicinitv  of  the 
Aleutian  Islands. 

"  They  lay  their  eggs  upon  the  points  and  narrow  .shelves  on 
the  faces  of  the  cliff- fronts  to  the  islands,  standing  over  the 
eggs,  side  by  side,  as  thickly  as  they  can  crowd,  making  no 
nests.  They  quarrel  desperately,  aud  so  earnestly,  that  all  along 
under  the  high  bluffs  on  the  north  shore  of  Saint  George's  hun- 
dreds of  dead  birds  are  lying,  having  fallen  and  dashed  them- 


212  ALASKA. 

selves  to  death  upon  the  rocks  ^Yliile  cliucbed  in  eombat  with 
rivals  in  midair. 

"  They  lay  but  a  single  egg,  upon  the  bare  rock.  The  egg  is 
large  and  very  fancifully  colored,  a  bluish-green  ground  with 
dark-brown  mottliugs  and  patches,  but  exceedingly  variable  in 
size  and  coloring.  The  outline  of  the  egg  is  pyriform,  some- 
times more  acute.  It  is  the  most  palatable  of  all  the  varieties 
found  on  the  islands,  having  no  disagreeable  flavor,  and,  when 
perfectly  fresh,  being  fully  as  good  as  a  hen's  egg. 

"  Incubation  lasts  nearly  twenty-eight  days,  and  the  young 
come  out  with  a  dark  thick  coat  of  dowu,  which  is  speedily  sup- 
planted by  the  plumage  and  color  of  the  old  birds  within  six 
weeks  of  hatching.  They  are  fed  by  the  disgorging  parents, 
apparently  without  intermission,  uttering  all  the  while  a  harsh 
rough  croak,  lugubrious  enough. 

''  The  males  and  females  have  no  sexual  distinction  as  to  size, 
shape,  or  plumage.  On  Saint  George's  Island,  while  the 
females  begin  to  set,  along  toward  the  end  of  June  and  first  of 
July,  the  males  go  flying  around  the  island  in  great  files  and 
platoons,  always  circling  against,  or  quartering  on,  the  wind, 
at  regular  hours  in  the  morning  and  the  evening,  mahing  a  dark 
girdle  of  birds  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  mile  hroad  andtliirty 
miles  long,  icliirling  round  and  round  the  island,  and  forcing  upon 
the  most  casual  observer  a  lasting  impression.  The  flight  of 
the  'arrie'  is  straight,  steady,  and  rapid,  the  wings  beating 
quickly  and  jjowerfully  ;  it  makes  no  noise  nor  utters  any  cry, 
save  a  low,  hoarse,  grunting  croak,  and  then  only  when  quar- 
reling or  mating. 

'•This  'arrie'  is  a  valuable  bird  to  the  inhabitants  of  the 
Seal  Islands,  and,  indeed,  for  that  matter,  is  the  only  one  that 
has  much  economic  worth  to  man  in  Bering  Sea." 


APPENDIX. 


APPENDIX 


SAINT  MATTHEWS  ISLAND,  BERING'S  SEA. 

This  island  lies  about  2C0  miles  north-Dorthwest  from  Saint 
Paul's,  and  is  not  large,  being  some  22  miles  in  length  and  ex- 
cessively narrow  in  proportion.  Hall's,  a  small  island,  lies  west 
from  it,  separated  by  a  strait  less  than  3  miles  in  width,  and  a 
sharp  jagged  rock  stands  out  some  1,200  feet  abruptly  from  the 
sea,  5  miles  south  of  Sugarloaf  Cone. 

Our  first  landing,  early  in  the  morning  of  August  o,was  at  the 
slope  of  Cub  Hill,  near  Cape  Upright,  the  easternmost  point  of 
the  island  ;  theair  coming  in  from  the  northwest  was  cold  and 
chilly^  and  snow  and  ice  were  on  the  hill-sides  and  in  the 
gullies.  The  hillsides  and  summits  were  of  a  grayish-russet 
tinge,  with  rich  green  swale-slopes  running  down  into  the  low- 
lands, which  are  more  intensely  green  and  warm  in  tone  there. 

The  island  everywhere  presents  the  appearance  of  a  long 
straggling  reach  of  bluffs  and  headlands  connected  with  bars 
and  lowland  spits,  at  a  small  distance  resembling  half  a  dozen 
distinct  islands,  when  seen  from  the  ship. 

The  pebble-bar  formed  by  the  sea  between  Cape  Upright  and 
Waterfall  Heads  is  covered  with  a  deep  stratum  of  glacial  drift 
carried  down  from  the  slopes  of  Polar  and  Cub  Hills,  and  ex- 
tending over  two  miles  of  this  water-front  to  the  westward, 
where  it  is  met  by  a  similar  washing  from  that  quarter.  Back 
and  in  the  center  of  this  neck  are  several  small  fresh  lakes  and 
lagoons  without  fish,  but  emptying  into  them  are  a  number  of 
clear,  lively  brooks  in  which  are  brook-trout  of  large  size  and 
fine  quality.  A  luxuriant  growth  of  deep  moss  and  grass  inter- 
spersed exists  on  the  lowest  ground,  and  occasionally  strange 
dome-like  piles  of  peat  lifted  lour  or  five  feet  above  the  marshy 
swale  appear  like  abandoned  huts,  with  a  great  variety  of  pretty 
flowers,  growing  thickly  everywhere  on  these  places. 

As  these  lowlands  rise  on  to  the  flanks  of  the  hills  th-e  vegeta- 
tion changes  rapidly  to  a  simple  coat  of  cryptogamic  gray  and 
light  russet,  with  a  slippery  slide  for  the  foot  wherever  ascent 


216  ALASKA. 

of  a  steep  pluce  is  made,  ^vater  oozing  aud  trickling  almost 
everywhere  underneath.  The  swales  frequently  rise  high,  aud 
cross  the  hill-suiumits  aud  ridges  without  auy  iuterruptiou  in 
their  wet  swampy  character  from  valley  to  valley. 

Here,  ou  the  highest  summits,  where  uo  moss  ever  grows  and 
nothing  but  a  flue  porphyritic  shingle  slides  and  rattles  under 
tread,  are  bear-roads  leading  from  nest  to  nest,  or  lairs,  which 
they  have  scooped  out  ou  the  liill-sides  and  where  the  she-bears 
undoubtedly  bring  forth  their  young,  but  it  is  not  plain  where 
these  bears,  which  are  all  around  us  by  hundreds,  spend  their 
winters.  I  am  inclined  to  believe  that  they  do  not  stay  on  the 
island  ;  but  as  soon  as  the  floes  come  down  from  the  north,  driv- 
ing off  the  seal  and  walrus,  they  leave  the  island  and  take  to 
this  ice,  keeping  by  the  vrater's  edge,  where  their  prey  will  be 
found,  and  returning  as  soon  as  the  season  opens.  Xow 
as  we  see  them  they  are  all  eating  grass  and  roots,  digging  or 
browsing,  or  else  heavily  sleeping  on  the  hill-sides.  Their  man- 
ner of  browsing  is  very  similar  to  the  action  of  a  hog  engaged 
in  grazing. 

The  action  of  ice  in  rounding  down  aud  grinding  hills,  carry- 
iug  the  soil  and  debris  off  into  depressions  and  valle.ys,  is  most 
beautifully  exhibited  here.  The  hills  at  the  northern  foot  of 
Sugarloaf  Cone  are  bare  and  literally  polished  by  ice-sheets  aud 
slides  of  melting  snow;  the  rocks  and  soil  from  the  summits  and 
slopes  are  carried  down  and  dumped,  as  it  were,  in  numberless 
little  heaps  at  the  base.  ISTowhere  can  the  work  of  ice  be  seen 
to  better  advantage  than  here,  especially  so  with  regard  to  the 
chiseling  power  of  frost  on  the  faces  of  the  porphyry  cliffs. 
The  flora  here  is  more  extensive  than  on  the  Seal  Islands,  201) 
miles  to  the  southward,  but  the  species  of  grass  are  not  near 
so  varied  ;  indeed,  there  is  very  little  grass-land  here.  Wher- 
ever there  is  soil  it  seems  to  be  converted  by  the  abundant 
moisture  into  a  swale  or  swamp,  over  which  we  traveled  as  on 
a  quaking  water-bed  ;  but  on  the  rounded  hill-tops  and  ridge- 
summits  the  smooth  shingle  makes  good  walking.  The  high 
land  everywhere  here  is  paved  with  this  flue  shiugle,  that  has 
been  created  by  the  disintegrating  power  of  frost,  which  evi- 
dently has  an  annual  iron  grip  ou  the  island. 

The  west  end  of  the  island  differs  materially  from  the  east; 
the  fantastic  weathering  of  the  rocks  at  Cathedral  Point,  Hall's 
Island,  strikes  the  eye  of  the  most  casual  observer  as  the  shii) 
enters  the  straits  going  south.    This  eastern  wall  of  the  point 


ALASKA.  217 

looms  up  from  the  water  like  a  row  of  vast  cedar-truiiks:  the 
scaling  off  of  the  basaltic  porphyry  aud  growth  of  yellowish- 
greeu  aud  red  mossy  lichens  made  the  effect  most  real,  while 
a  deuse  bank  of  fog  lying  just  overhead  seemed  to  shut  out 
from  our  vision  the  foliage  and  branches  that  belonged  above. 
The  north  cape  of  Hall's  Island  changes  like  a  chameleon  when 
approached,  presenting  with  every  mile's  distance  a  new  and 
characteristic  feature. 

At  our  anchorage  in  the  straits  (20  fathoms)  we  caught  a  good 
supply  of  cod  and  halibut  of  fair  quality.  Great  flocks  of 
murres  (L.  arra)  came  off  from  the  cliffs,  where  they  were  breed- 
ing, and  settled  in  the  water  around  the  ship,  as  we  had 
anchored  on  a  feeding-ground.  Many  walrus  appeared  around 
the  "  Eeliance,"  amusing  us  greatly  by  the  stupid  alertness  dis- 
played when  they  rose  head  aud  shoulders  out  of  the  water  and 
discovered  us;  a  short  look  and  a  snort,  then,  stern  foremost, 
they  dropped  into  the  sea  out  of  sight,  as  though  a  trapdoor 
had  been  suddenly  sprung  beneath  them. 

The  grass  on  Hall's  Island,  like  Saint  Matthew's,  is  confined 
mostly  to'  the  swale,  which  runs  from  the  valleys  up  to  the  very 
highest  ridges;  patches  of  deep,  rich  green  contrasting  quite 
pleasantly  with  the  dull  russet  and  ocher  which  covers  every- 
thing else. 

Our  visit  at  the  west  end  of  this  island  of  Saint  Matthew's  was 
most  interesting ;  the  rich,  elegant  coloring  of  the  rocks  and 
fantastic  arrangement  of  the  basalt  and  porphyry  at  Statue 
Point  caused  an  old  sailor  in  our  boat  to  cry  out,  "  That  reminds 
me  of  Coustiintinople,  a  regular  Turk's  house!"  aud  it  certainly 
did  resemble  Ottoman  architecture. 

AYe  found  the  ruius  of  the  huts  built  by  a  party  of  five  Eas- 
sians  aud  seven  Aleuts  who  passed  the  winter  of  ISIO- 11  on 
the  island,  but  were  stricken  down  with  scurvy,  so  that  all  the 
Russians  died  save  one;  the  rest  recovered  and  left  the  follow- 
ing year. 

The  result  of  a  careful  examination  of  this  island  shows  con- 
clusively that  the  character  of  the  gravel  spits  and  necks  is 
such  as  not  to  be  fit  for  the  reception  of  breeding-seals,  as  it 
would  be  speedily  converted  by  a  rookery  into  a  sheet  of  mud 
and  slime,  and  there  is  no  other  landing  afforded  save  at  the 
base  of  cliffs  rising  abruptly  from  the  sea.  Seals  also,  if  landing 
here,  would,  independent  of  bear  warfare,  find  a  climatic  disad- 
vantage, for  snow  and  ice  do  nOc  leave  the  landings  until  late 


218  ALASKA, 

in  June ;  this  was  evident,  althou;^li  we  bad  an  exceptionally 
mild  winter,  for  on  Augnst  12,  patches  of  ice  and  snow  were 
on  the  beaches,  and  a  considerable  quantity  on  the  hill-slopes, 
without  any  regard  to  the  sun's  position. 

Vegetation  on  the  island  is  varied  and  abundant  where  it  is 
able  to  grow,  but  the  greater  part  of  the  country  is  either  a 
fine  porphyry  shingle  or  cold  wet  swale,  so  that  grasses  do  not 
thrive  as  they  do  on  the  Seal  Islands;  the  small  annuals  and 
perennials,  however,  are  scattered  in  great  variety,  and  where 
the  sand  has  been  cast  up  at  the  barrabkie  beach,  west  end, 
it  has  mixed  in  with  the  drift-soil,  and  warmed  it  so  that  the 
wild  wheat  {Elyjuus)  was  growing  thick,  with  ears  which  gave 
promise  of  ripening.  Mosses  and  lichens  are  especially  abun- 
dant, the  "  tripe  de  roche^-  covering  the  high  rounded  summits 
with  its  dark-brown  tinge.  The  only  berries,  Empetrum  nigrum 
and  liuhus  cJiamamorns,  were  very  common.  The  high  summit 
slopes  of  Glacial  Head,  1,670  feet,  were  fairly  spangled  with 
beantiful  flowers,  blue,  red,  white,  and  yellow.  Three  varieties 
of  the  creeping  willow  [Salix)  grow  here  in  great  profusion, 
large  masses  of  the  leaves  being  collected  in  hollows,  upon 
which  bears  have  made  very  comfortable  beds;  several  of  the 
higher  hills,  contrary  to  the  general  rule,  are  well  covered  with 
grass  and  flowering  plants,  such  as  the  south  slope  of  Upright 
Eidge,  1,560  feet,  all  of  Camp  Hill,  north  slope  of  Pyramid 
Eidge,  &c. 

;  I^owhere  on  the  island  can  a  well-defined  crater-summit  or  cra- 
ter be  found,  unless  the  smoking  cleft  in  the  ridge  of  Pinnacled 
Eock  will  answer  to  that  description ;  but  this  island  is  inaccessi- 
ble, rising  sheer  and  abrupt  from  the  sea  to  a  height  of  at  least 
1,200  feet.  Its  greatest  width  is  not  over  500  feet,  and  it  ap- 
pears to  be  made  of  reddish  lava.  Its  sharply-serrated  ridge 
looms  up  from  the  southeast  like  a  great  brick  cathedral  in  the 
hazy  glow  of  the  morning  sun ;  upon  its  steep  sides  myriads  of 
water-fowl  breed,  principally  murres,  {L.  arra.)  From  the  sum- 
mit of  Sugarloaf  Cone,  1,520  feet,  we  can  look  upon  its  great- 
est latitude,  and  view  what  appears  to  be  a  blackened  crater 
or  smoky  fissure  between  the  two  walls  ;  one  or  two  small  rocks 
convoy  it,  but  the  water  is  bold  all  around,  as  well  as  at  Saint 
Matthew's,  which  can  be  approached  with  great  safety  from  all 
sides ;  thene  is,  however,  no  harbor,  but  the  roadsteads  are 
good. 

Polar  bears  breed  here,  and  live  chiefly  during  the  summer 


ALASKA.  219 

npou  roots,  grasses,  &c.,  eggs,  birds,  aucl  an  occasional  walrus 
or  bair-seal.  Ou  Hall's  Island  a  small  walrus  was  discovered 
where  the  bears  bad  eaten  out  the  entire  animal,  leaving  the 
skin  intact,  tough  and  thick,  untouched  from  the  head  down  to 
the  posteriors,  where  it  was  broken  in  to  get  at  the  flesh;  it 
lay  just  like  a  bag,  bones  and  all  taken  out,  even  to  the  head^ 
and  polished. 

Xo  less  than  sixteen  of  these  big  beasts  were  seen  at  once 
(tea  upon  the  beach  together)  as  the  ship's  boat  approached 
the  water-fall  ou  Hall's  Island.  Of  course,  it  is  impossible  to 
say  how  mauj^  "  medvaidie"  there  are  on  Saint  Matthew's, 
but  it  is  safe  to  assert  that  there  cannot  be  less  than  a  hundred 
and  fifty  to  two  hundred;  but  they  must  go  off  on  the  ice  during 
winter  and  early  spring. 

I  do  not  think  a  full-grown  polar  bear,  powerful  as  it  is,  can 
successfully  capture  a  mature  walrus;  the  thick  skull  and  hide, 
immensely  tough,  of  the  latter  would  resist  any  sudden  attack 
from  the  former,  and,  the  alarm  once  given  to  the  walrus,  the 
bear  could  not  prevent  the  clumsy  but  strong  animal  from 
floundering  into  the  water  and  safety.  The  bears,  however, 
can  and  do  swim  in  between  a  young  walrus  and  the  water  and 
secure  it. 

We  shot  some  fifteen  or  twenty  bears,  all  that  we  could  use 
or  care  for,  relishing  the  meat  very  much,  it  being  fully  as  good 
and  tender  as  the  generality  of  beef.  The  bears  were  easily 
killed,  never  showing  fight  in  any  instance.  They  were  in  most 
excellent  condition,  fat  and  sleek.  If  caught  napping  or  asleep, 
they  were  easily  approached,  as  the  hunter  could  get  within  a 
few  yards  before  alarming  them  ;  but  if  they  got  wind  of  us, 
they  would  turn  and  shamble  off  with  considerable  speed, 
taking  to  the  hills  at  once. 

When  surprised,  the  bear  would  arise  and  face  us  for  a  few 
moments,  and  sniff'  and  snort,  making  no  other  sound  ;  but  in 
its  death-agonies  after  shooting  it  was  silent. 

I  searched  everywhere  for  its  bones,  skulls,  &:c.,  which  should 
be  found,  it  seemed  to  me,  bleaching  on  the  hill-sides  and  in 
the  valleys,  but,  with  the  exception  of  one  very  old,  battered 
head,  and  a  small  one,  nothing  was  seen  ou  the  island  of  this 
character.  At  this  season  (August  9)  the  she-bears  and  their 
cubs  were  by  themselves,  (they  usually  have  two  cubs,)  and  the 
young  he-bears  going  about  in  squads  of  twos,  threes,  and 
fours,  the  old  males  sleeping  and  feeding  apart. 


220  ALASKA. 

The^-  sleep  soundly,  but  litfnlly,  rolling  their  heavy  arms  and 
legs  about ;  for  naps  they  prefer  little  grassy  depressions  on  the 
bill-sides  and  along  the  numerous  small  water-courses;  and  the 
paths  they  made  were  broad  and  well-beaten  all  over  the  island. 

These  bears,  when  full  grown,  are  exceedingly  muscular  and 
very  strong.  One  shot  by  Lieutenant  Maynard  measured  eight 
feet  from  tip  of  nose  to  tail,  and  could  not  have  weighed  less 
than  a  thousand  or  twelve  hundred  pounds;  it  had  a  girth  of 
24  inches  around  the  muscles  of  the  fore-arm,  when  the  skin 
was  removed,  just  back  of  the  carpal  joint,  corresponding  to 
our  wrist ;  it  was  fat,  and  had  scars  upon  its  head,  which  were 
evidently  received  in  fighting  with  its  kind,  yo  worms  were 
found  in  the  intestines  or  stomach;  the  liver  was  speckled 
with  light  grayish-green  dots  and  patches. 

Note. — Lieutenant  Maynard  ami  myself  surveyed  this  island,  and  made 
a  careful  chart  of  it ;  Captain  Baker  gave  us  soundings,  which  accompany 
the  map.  The  only  existing  chart  is  a  Russian  one,  and  very  inaccurate. — 
H.  W.  L. 


SAIXT  LAWEEXCE  ISLAXD. 

This  is  the  largest  island  in  Bering  Sea,  and  lies  directly 
south  from  Bering's  Straits  about  180  miles;  it  is  about  SO  to 
■85  miles  in  length,  with  an  average  width  of  15  to  20.  The  sea 
has  built  on  to  it  most  extensively,  in  the  same  manner  as  on 
the  island  of  Saint  Paul,  but  it  is  quite  dissimilar  in  form  and 
climate. 

We  made  our  first  landing  on  this  island  early  in  the  morning 
of  August  18,  near  Kagallegak,  or  opposite  Poonook  Islets, 
and  a  baidar  with  a  number  of  the  natives,  Mahlemute  Eskimo, 
came  off  to  us  as  soon  as  we  dropped  our  anchor. 

We  found  the  island,  at  this  landing,  to  be  made  up  of  coarse 
feldspathic  red  granite  flats  and  hills,  with  extensive  lagoons 
and  lakes.  The  skeleton  of  the  island  seems  to  be  of  these  low 
granitic  hill-ranges,  and  between  them  stretch  long,  low,  even 
reaches  of  sand-beach  for  miles  and  miles.  At  Kagallegak  the 
eye  sweeps  over  extensive,  level  plains  to  the  northward,  upon 
which  the  green  Eriophorum  anousUfolium  principally  grows, 
the  ground,  or  "tundra,'"  being  wet  and  boggy;  while,  on  the 
sand-beach  reaches,  the  "wild  wheat"  [Elymiis  moJlis)  grows 
abundantly,  short  and  stunted. 


ALASKA.  221 

These  great  level,  low  areas,  so  peculiar  to  this  island,  are 
made  up  of  tine  grauitic  drift,  lined  at  the  sea-margin  with  saud  j 
the  hills  and  hill-ranges  are  rich  in  color,  with  deep  blue-black 
patches  caused  by  protrusions  of  trap;  but  no  shrubbery  what- 
ever grows  on  those  at  the  east  end  and  north  end  of  the  island, 
save  the  creeping  salix,  dwarfed  and  stunted — cryptogamic 
plants  chiefly.  The  main  body  of  the  range  is  composed  of 
reddish,  coarse  and  fine  grained  feldspathic  granite,  with  abun- 
dant trap  protrusions,  which  weather  out  and  fiill  down  upon 
the  flanks  of  the  ridges  in  dark  patches  and  streaks,  contrast- 
ing, at  a  distance  of  eight  or  ten  miles,  very  sharply  with  the 
main  ground  of  pinkish  rock,  moss-grown,  and  colored  here  and 
there  with  the  greenish-russet  tinge  peculiar  to  such  vegeta- 
tion; this  dark  marking  of  the  trap,  at  a  little  distance,  appears 
like  low-growing  shrubbery.  Snow  and  ice  lay  in  the  gullies 
and  on  the  hill-sides. 

The  low  plains  have  the  russet  yellowish  green  peculiar  to 
the  tundra  of  the  north;  the  sand  is  a  bright  light  brown. 
Small  streatjis  flow  down  from  the  hills  and  empty  int9  the  sea 
and  lakes,  in  which  we  found  a  few^^rnv-  or  young  salmon;  the 
lakes  and  lagoons  are  fairly  stocked  with  a  white-fish — nothing 
else  of  this  kind.  ( 

The  entire  expanse  of  the  lowlands  over  which  we  traveled 
was  like  a  great  sponge  filled  and  overrunning  with  water,  the 
chief  vegetation  upon  it  being  the  beautiful  tufted  or  plumed 
grass,  [Efiophorum,)  bearing  exquisite  tassels  of  white,  silken 
floss;  this  grass,  in  conjunction  with  several  cryptogams,  a  few 
scattered  Buhus  cliamcemonis  and  Empetrum,  make  up  the  rich 
russet-green,  flecked  with  gray-green  spots,  which  mark  these 
great  marshy  tracts  in  the  Alaskan  country.  There  are  many 
places  where  this  vegetation,  during  ages  past,'  has  decayed  and 
formed  bog-holes  or  pools,  into  which  the  pedestrian  will  mire 
down  to  his  waist  at  a  single  step. 

A  small  succinea,  or  land-snail,  was  very  abundant  on  these 
flats,  near  our  lauding  at  Northeast  Point,  and  all  along  the 
shore-line  we  saw  an  abundance  of  driftwood,  logs,  and  pieces, 
most  of  it  pine  or  spruce,  a  few  poplar  sticks,  and  a  number  of 
unrecognizable  twisted  knots. 

Very  little  algce,  or  sea-weed,  or  any  marine  life  whatever,  was 
evident  from  the  surf-castings;  only  a  few  mussels  and  small 
conch-shells,  {Fusus.)    The  beach  is  made  up,  in  some  places 


222  ALASKA. 

for  lonj;-  distances,  of  granite  pebbles  and  bowlders,  scattered 
with  some  trap. 

At  Northeast  Poiut  the  natives  have  quite  a  wood-ciittiug 
camp,  hewiug-  and  carving,  and  the  chips  are  scattered  all  aloug 
the  beach-levels  for  miles ;  there  are  places  here  where  the  ice, 
in  some  unusual  season,  has  carried  large  logs  and  pieces  of 
drift-wood  back  full  half  a  mile  from  the  sea ;  and  there  they 
lie  to-day  deeply  imbedded  in  the  swale,  settling  and  decay- 
ing. The  ice-jams  which  have  taken  place  to  effect  this  must 
have  been  very  severe. 

The  southwest  point  of  Saint  Lawrence  is  largely  made  up  of 
trap  and  porphyry,  slate,  &c. ;  the  water  very  bold  and  deep. 

The  natives  on  the  island  cannot  be  much  over  three  or  four 
hundred  in  number,  and  are  living  in  five  settlements,  about 
equidistant,  around  the  coast.  They  are  well  formed  and 
hearty,  genial  and  good-natured.  They  are  of  Mongolian  cast 
and  build,  strongly  resembling  Chinamen,  only  that  nearly  all 
the  men  shave  the  occipital  portion  of  the  head  instead  of  the 
frontal,  as  practiced  by  the  Celestials ;  the  women,  however,  do 
not  shave  their  heads,  and  do  their  hair  up  in  two  braids  hang- 
ing down  behind,  tied  up  with  beads,  &c. 

They  met  us  in  an  unaffected,  free  manner,  showing  no  fear 
or  hesitation,  and,  coming  upon  deck,  commenced  a  vociferous 
cry  for  tobacco,  and  that  alone;  yet  they  were  civil  and  curious; 
three  or  four  women  usually  came  in  each  baidar  with  them, 
paddling  like  the  men ;  the  boats,  about  14  feet  long  with  4  feet 
of  beam,  consisted  of  a  frame,  very  neatly  lashed  together,  of 
pine,  with  whalebone  fastenings,  over  which  walras-hide  was 
stretched;  they  propelled  it  with  paddles  and  oars,  which  were 
also  well  made. 

They  live  in  summer-houses  made  of  walrus-hides,  weighted 
down  by  logs  and  stones  so  as  not  to  be  blown  away  ;  and  close 
by  are  the  winter-houses,  which  are  under  ground,  with  a  tun- 
nel entrance. 

The  food  of  these  people  is  whales'  blubber,  cut  in  large 
chunks,  of  the  strongest,  rancid  odor;  mullets  from  the  fresh- 
water lakes,  and  caught  in  nets  of  walrus-thongs;  murres.  small 
waders,  walrus  and  hair-seal  meat,  varied  by  geese  and  ducks. 
They  had  no  iron  cooking-utensils;  all  wood,  and  made  by  them- 
selves, using  hot  stones  for  boiling  waiter.  Seal  and  whale  oil 
they  had  cached  both  above  and  under  grouud ;  they  preserve 
all  fish  and  bird  offal  and  devour  it  raw,  saving  the  skins  of  the 


ALASKA.  223 

latter,  which  they  make  up  into  "  parkies"  or  sacks  for  clothing ; 
this  is,  however,  a  poor  garment  when  made  of  bird-skins;  it 
is  always  giving  way  at  the  seams,  feathers  flying,  &:e. ;  the 
skin  is  usually  turned  outside  and  the  feathers  worn  next  to  the 
body.  Furs  are  nearly  all  worn  in  this  way;  and  the  garments 
worn  were  principally  made  of  reindeer-skins,  procured  from 
the  Asiatics  in  exchange  for  wood  and  ivory  and  tanned  hair- 
seal. 

They  were  poor,  and  had  nothing  for  trade  but  clothing 
made  from  the  intestines  of  the  walrus,  walrus-teeth,  and  some 
whalebone;  but  they  had  an  ample  supply  of  food,  such  as  it 
was,  and  their  desire  that  we  should  taste  of  it  was  almost  equal 
to  our  determination  not  to  do  so. 

They  were  exceedingly  anxious  to  trade,  and  I  noticed  that 
the  women  seemed  to  have  equal  rank  with  the  men,  doing 
more  than  half  the  talking,  and  barter  solicitation  ;  they  seemed 
to  be  warmly  attached  to  one  another.  The  females  all  had  their 
fiices  curiously  tattooed  iu  pale-blue  lines  on  the  cheeks  and 
chin,  and  the  arms. 

They  had  a  few  dogs,  very  large,  with  long,  shaggy  hair, 
pointed  ears,  and  short,  bear-like  tails ;  they  were  of  a  mild 
and  inoffensive  disposition,  and  were  highly  valued  by  their 
owners. 

They  took  us  to  a  place  where  they  had  six  polar-bear  skulls 
placed  on  the  sand,  side  by  side,  with  a  post  at  the  head,  which 
they  gave  us  to  understand  we  could  not  touch  ;  for  I  wanted 
to  carry  off  one  of  the  bear-skulls,  which  was  17  inches  long 
and  measured  10  across  the  zygomatic  arch  ;  it  was  undoubt- 
edly a  grave  where  some  one  of  their  number  had  perished  by 
the  agency  indicated  by  the  skulls.  Bears,  however,  rarely 
visit  this  island,  and  foxes  are  the  only  land-animals. 

The  natives  were  supplied  with  coarse,  smooth-bore  muskets, 
which,  I  thought,  they  seldom  used.  All  the  birds,  such  as 
murres  and  geese  or  ducks,  are  caught  in  large  nets  stretched 
over  the  brows  of  cliffs,  or  across  the  lagoons.  These  nets  are 
very  neatly  made  of  walrus-hide. 

No  animals  were  seen  by  us  in  the  water  about  the  island 
save  an  occasional  hair-seal  thrusting  its  head  out  from  the 
sea.  A  few  cod-fish  were  caught,  aud  when  the  natives  came 
aboard,  on  the  18th,  the  cods'  heads  and  intestines  lying  in 
the  ship's  scuppers,  where  the  cook  had  been  cleaning  the 


224  ALASKA. 

fish,  were  eagerly  picked  up  and  carried  off  by  the  Eskimo  iu 
great  glee,  as  if  regarded  as  a  prize. 

Bird-life  was  not  so  extensive  as  at  Saint  Matthew's,  the 
murres  {Lomvia  ami)  predominating  on  the  sea-front,  while  in 
the  lagoons  were  several  large  flocks  of  the  emperor- goose  (C. 
canagica.)  Tringa  crassirostis,  so  common  on  the  Seal  Islands 
and  on  Saint  Matthew's,  was  not  seen  here.  A  stone-chat  {S. 
cenanthe)  was  observed,  as  also  Budytes  flava.  The  small  Asiatic 
tern,  in  large  numbers,  hovered  over  the  lagoons.  The  turn- 
stones  here  [8.  interpres)  have  a  much  blacker,  duller  tone  than 
the  variety  on  the  Seal  Islands. 

Our  observations  here  would  make  Saint  Lawrence  of  the 
same  formation  as  the  mainland  on  either  side  of  the  straits, 
and  just  as  old,  but  the  islands  of  Saint  Matthew's  and  the 
Prybilov  group,  as  much  more  recent,  and  belonging  to  a  differ- 
ent epoch.  Saint  Lawrence  is  ice-bound  and  snow-covered  too 
large  a  portion  of  the  year  ever  to  become  a  fit  place  for  the 
fur-seal  to  breed ;  and  it  may  be  safely  said  that  no  land  of 
ours  in  the  north  is  adapted  to  the  wants  of  that  animal  ex- 
cept that  of  Saint  Paul  and  Saint  George. 


ALASKA. 


225 


STATISTICS  AS  TO  THE  NATIVES. 

List  of  natives  living  on  the  Aleutian  Islands  in  1833-'34,  taken  from  Bishop 

Veniaminov's  "  Zapieska,  etc." 


Xarae  of  eettleraent. 

Kiimber  of 
natives. 

o 

X 

3 

o 

!« 

o 
6 
"A 

27 
2 
5 
3 
6 
8 
4 
2 
4 

99 

Is 

i 

15 
2 
4 
3 

5 
9 
10 
2 
6 

from 
1  settle- 
Jista. 

Island. 

CO 

B 

Distance 
mcnt,  v( 

OuDalasbka 

Gjivanslioi   ,... 

90 

6 

16 

7 

15 
18 
20 
C 
21 

106 

9 

21 

8 
20 
23 
24 

8 
20 

196 
15 
37 
15 
35 
41 
44 
14 
41 

0Natt^ekeDskoi 

12 

0  Pa  ystraA'skoi 

20 

<j)  VaVsaylovskoi 

40 

Makoosbenskoi 

90 

Kosbe^enskoi 

140 

Cberuovskoi 

170 

<f)Kablechtenskoi 

20 

<|)Bobrovskoi 

12  40 

Total  9  settlements 

214 

256 

470 

65 

58 

Eycliesnoi 

OoTiinalc           .        ... 

38 
11 

45 
15 

83 
26 

1 

12 
6 

300 

0  Tooleekskoi 

200 

Total  2  settlements 

49 

60 

109 

16 

18 

Arta  ylnovskoi 

16 
19 

T 

16 

18 
9 

32 
37 
16 

7 
5 
2 

14 

9 

8 
4 

120 

<|)Ra  vchevsnoi 

100 

0!SavraidiieLi3koi 

150 

Total  3  settlements 

37 

43 

80 

21 

Saydankooskoi 

17 
10 
24 
6 
38 
38 

27 
13 
25 
7 
59 
53 

44 
23 
49 
13 
91 
91 

6 
3 
5 
2 
2 
2 

7 
4 
9 

1 
4 
4 

40 

0Oonalgenskol 

25 

Avatanakskoi 

150 

A  kootau 

0  Akootanskoi 

90 

Tecalila 

Tccfiraldenskoi 

375 

(Jnemak          -   . 

(^Sheeshaldenskoi    

375 

Total  6  settlements 

0Morzai\'skoi 

Peninsula  Alaska, 

16 
49 
28 

29 
53 
31 

45 

102 

59 

7 
10 

8 

6 

16 

9 

460 

Bellkovskoi 

525 

585 

Total  3  settlements 

93 

113 

206 

25 
13 

31 
15 

Ooncenskoi 

Saint  Paul  and  Saint  George 

Oonira 

52 

88 
10 

64 
94 
18 

116 

183 
38 

650 

Making  a  ffrand  total  of  26 

• 

078 

806 

1,484 

157 

182 

XOTE. — Tbe  mark  <^  is  prefixed  to  all  stations  not  existing  at  the  present  writing,  Sep- 
tember, 1874. 

15  AL 


226' 


ALASKA. 


Shiefinekov^s  record y  Septemb 

tr  2,  187^ 

. 

Place, 

Creoles. 

Aleuts. 

Total. 

Men. 

Women. 

Men. 

"VTomen. 

Oniinl;islikjl             -    .............   ................ 

*23 

Do                 

71 
11 

73 
13 

130 
9 

31 
32 
52 
52 
51 
19 
21 
62 
92 
5 
51 

105 
16 
43 
.    35 
60 
58 
42 
22 
23 
.52 

106 

8 

54 

402 

"Mfilcooshiu  .       ................................. 

49 

74 

■■ 

3 

3 

70 

^ 

119 

110 

\k()ot.'iii                                   .               ...............   ...... 

1 

94 

Aviit.'iiiolv                                   .     .       .....................  1  ..... . 

41 

1'c(*'^'"ul(l;i            .                .    ....... ...1- . 

44 

Protrilisavftkoi .--. 

14 
17 
4 
24 
16 

12 
33 

5 
33 

9 

140 

Bolllcovskie       

243 

VoziKieshenskoi 

22 

1G2 

25 

Atka,  1872: 

^'ofUolict'skcji                                      ............ 

48 
39 
71 

48 
39 
59 

96 

Is'uzmi        .                                 ............. 

22 
15 

31 

10 

131 

tlOo 

*  Cliurdi--ivorkers,  «S:c. 

t  Tbirty-ljve  souls  iiidepondcut  of  this  number  went  to  Copper  Island  in  167 
three  came  to  Ouualashka  also. 


twenty- 


"  111  1848  there  were  some  1,400  souls  on  the  Alentiau  Islands 
west  of  the  Peninsula ;  the  smallpox  then  broke  out,  and  over 
500  died  that  season,  leaving  some  900,  about  which  number 
still  remain.  In  those  days  these  people  were  very  poor  com- 
pared with  their  i)resent  condition ;  they  had  but  little  money, 
very  little  tea,  bread,  and  sugar,  and  very  few  clothes." — Father 
IShiesnclov,  OunaJasJtla,  September  2, 1874.* 

The  following  table  shows  the  population  of  Eussian  America 
in  1834,  as  given  by  Bishop  Veniaminov  :  + 

*  This  priest,  who  is  a  very  intelligent  and  unassuming  man,  gave  Lieu- 
tenant Mnynard  and  myself  a  long  and  exceedingly  interesting  account  of 
the  manner  in  which  the  Aleuuts  were  living  under  Russian  rule,  in  order 
that  we  might  have  a  basis  for  comparison  of  the  present,  as  we  .saw  it,  with 
that  of  the  past.  The  testimony  of  this  gentleman  I  regard  as  of  the  great- 
est value,  for  he  knows  more  of  the  subject  than  any  other  man  living  who 
can  be  found,  as  his  whole  life  has  been  passed  in  this  country,  and  his  char- 
acter as  a  prelate  and  a  gentleman  is  highly  respected  by  all  who  know  him. 

t  Veniaminov  appears  to  have  been  the  only  Russian  who,  dniing  the  whole 
occupation  of  Alaska  by  that  people,  has  given  to  the  world  anything  like  a 
history  of  the  country  or  a  sketch  of  its  inhabitant.s,  that  has  ability  or 
the  merit  of  truth.  He  is  at  present  living,  and  ranks  second  to  the  Em- 
peror in  the  Russian  Empire,  being  the  primate  of  the  national  church.  Ho 
must  have  been  a  man  of  lino  personal  bearing,  judging  from  the  descrip- 
tion given  of  him  by  Sir  Gcoi'ge  Simpson,  who  met  him  at  Sitka  in  IS^^ : 
''  His  appearance,  to  which  I  have  already  alluded,  impresses  a  stranger  with 
something  of  awe,  while,  on  further  intercourse,  the  gentleness  which  char- 
acterizes his  every  word  and  deed  insensibly  molds  reverence  into  love;  and 


ALASKA.  227 

Kolcsliiiois 5,  000 

Copper  liiver ^ 300 

Clioogach  ic 471 

Peninsula 1 ,  000 

Kodials  — 1,  508 

KosKoqnim 7,  000 

Yukon  liiver not  known 

Kussiaus , 70G 

Oogahlensic,  (Mount  Saint  Elias,  near) 150 

Kolchans,  (interior) not  known 

Kcnai - 1,  G2S 

Aglahmutes 402 

Ou)ialashl-a  Aleuts 1,  497 

Atlca  Aleuts 750 

Mahlenmtes,  &c . . , not  known 

Creoles 1, 295 

Total  actually  known 22,  800 

Estimate  of  the  rest' 17,  000 

Making-  a  total,  for  the  Territory,  of  some 40,  000 

Tlie  following  is  a  list  of  the  different  tribes  of  Indians  living 
between  Prince  of  Wales  Island  and  Yalikutat,  or  Bering's 
Bay,  Alaska,  in  1837-'3S,  (from  Veniaminov,  part  III :) 

"  The  numbers  of  these  people  (Indians)  living  in  Eussian 
.  America  between  Prince  of  "Wales  and  Bering's  Bay  in  1835 
was  10,000,  but  now  (1838)  not  much  over  6,000.     The  settle- 
ments, and  people  in  them,  number  as  follows: 

Souls. 

Yahkutatskie,  (Bering's  Bay) 150 

Abkvaystkie,  (Lituya  Bay) 200 

Laydanoprodevskie - -50 

Chelkatskie  (Chilcats) , ^ 200 

Ahkootskie v  100 

Seethenskie,  (iSitka) 750 

Kootsuovskie,  (Hootsino) ^^^0 

Kaykovskie,  (Cakes) -00 

Koonjeskie ^  «>0 

Gaynoovskie 300 

at  the  same  time  his  taleuts  and  attainments  are  such  as  to  bo  worthy  of 
his  exalted  station.  With  all  this,  the  bishop  is  sullieiently  a  man  of  the 
world  to  disdain  anything  like  cant.  His  conversation,  on  the  contrary, 
teems  with  amusement  and  instruction,  and  his  company  is  much  prized  by 
all  who  have  the  honor  of  his  acquaiutauce." 


228 


ALASKA. 


Souls. 

Stobenskie,  (Stickeen) 1, 500 

Taugasskie,  (ToDgass) 150 

Kahcganskie,  (PriDce  of  Wales  Island) 1,  200 

Chasenskie  . , 150 

Soanabiiskie 100 

Total 5,  850 

"A  cciint  equal  to  this  may  he  made  ou  tbe  Xasse,  Skeeiia, 
&c.,  a  country  now  under  tbe  control  of  the  Euglisb,  including 
Queen  Charlotte's  Island  at  8,000,  makes  tbe  number  of  all  the 
Koloshes  (Indians)  living  in  this  country  at  this  time  (1838) 
25,000,  and  not  less  than  20,000." 


Table  shoniiig  the  entire  numher  of  Christians*  in  the  Territori/  of  Alaska  in  1863, 

( Techmainov,  p.  264.) 


!Xame  of  people. 


Eusi«ians 

Creoles 

Aleuts,  (Ouiialashka,  Kodiak,  and  Atka) 

Kenai  

Choogach 

Ooplamutes 

Copper  Ki  ver 

Magmutes 

Aglemutes 

Aziagmiites 

Koskoqnims 

K  vichp^ks 

Agloomutes 

Inmleeks 

Kolchana , 

Koloshes 

Koorilsov 

Tongass  . 


Males. 


Total 


576 

853 

2,206 

430 

226 

73 

17 

18 

19 

105 

755 

226 

19 

263 

97 

221 

63 

1 

6,314 


Females. 


20& 

823 

2,185 

507 

230 

75 

1 

1 

20 

101 

C40 

153 

20 

213 

93 

226 

48 

1 


5,714 


Total.  • 


784 

1,676 

4,  392 

937 

456 

148 

18 

19 

39 

206 

1,395 

379 

39 

476 

190 

447 

111 

2 


12,  018 


*  The  term  "Christian"  here  simply  indicates  the  baptism  of  the  Indians,  with  the 
marked  exception  of  the  Aleuts.  .  For  Instance,  the  1,395  Koskoquims  who  permitted  the 
priests  to  baptize  them,  had  then  no  more  idea  of  the  principles  or  practice  of  Christianity 
than  they  have  now;  they  received  some  trifling  reward  at  the  time,  of  tobacco,  cloth, 
&c.,  for  submitting  to  the  ceremony. 


ALASKA.  229 


LETTER  FItOM  MK.  DALL. 

"\Yliile  iu  the  Territory  last  season,  I  had  the  .satisfactiou 
of  nieetiug  this  geiitleiiiau,  an  employe  of  the  United  States 
Coast  Survey,  aud  we  Lad  occasion  to  excbauge  views  iu 
regard  to  the  condition  of  the  people.  The  opinions  of  Mr. 
Dall  were,  in  some  instances,  so  different  from  mine  that  I 
asiied  him  to  embody  his  conclusions  in  the  form  of  a  letter 
in  order  that  I  might  publish  them,  to  show  the  contrast.  This 
he  has  done,  aud  I  take  pleasure  in  maliing  known  tbe  views 
of  Mr.  Dall,  aud  in  appending  a  criticism  based  upon  my 
knowledge  aud  judgment.  I  may  say  at  the  outset  tbat,  while 
I  concede  for  the  sake  of  argument  that  Mr.  Dall  "  has  seen 
more  of  the  country  than  any  other  individual,"  I  am  not  willing 
to  grant  the  plain  inference  that  he  has  studied  that  which  he 
has  seen  more  intelligently  or  patiently  than  others,  who  may 
have  seen  less,  but  still  enough  to  form  a  correct  opinion.* 

OUNALASIIKA,   ALASKA  TERRITORY, 

U.  S.  Coast  Survey  Schooner  Yukon, 

Awjnst  31,  1874. 

Gentlemen  :  At  the  instance  of  Mr.  Elliott,  I  have  addressed 
to  you  the  present  letter,  intended  to  embody  the  conclusions 
to  which  I  have  been  led  during  a  long  residence  iu  this  Terri- 
tory, bearing  on  the  subject  of  your  inquiry. 

For  nearly  ten  years  I  have  been  constantly  engaged  either 
in  the  study  of  the  subject  or  in  active  investigation  iu  this  re- 
gion. Three  winters  and  more  than  seven  years  of  this  period 
I  have  been  actually  resident  in  the  Territory,  and  the  duties 
assigned  to  me  have  carried  me  to  nearly  every  point  iu  it 
which  is  of  any  importance.  I  have  consequently  seen  more  of 
the  country  than  anj'  other  individual,  and  never  having  been 
connected  iu  any  way  with  any  trading  company,  it  may  be 

*  In  making  my  comments  upon  this  letter,  I  do  not  -wish  to  appear  in  the 
light  of  'laying  down  the  law'  iu  every  case,  for  it  is  a  qnestion  well  open 
to  argument  as  to  the  ettect  of  any  attempt  to  educate  these  peojilc.  A  long 
interview  with  General  Eatou,  Commissioner  of  Education,  upon  this  sub- 
ject pleased  me  very  much,  for  I  found  that  he  had  a  (piite  ditierent  idea 
from  the  plan  now  followed  of  schools  on  our  Indian  reservations;  indeed, 
it  was  almost  identical  with  the  views  of  the  Russian  bishop  iu  San  Fran- 
cisco, who  has  charge  of  the  Greek  Catliolic  church  in  this  Territory.  Tbe 
system  of  General  Eatou  will  nudoubtedly  be  found  in  his  report  for  this 
year.  "  II.  W.  E. 


230  ^  ALASKA. 

reasonably  assumed  tbat  I  have  been  in  the  position  of  an  ini- 
l)artial  observer,  and  tbat  my  views  on  tlie  subject  are  not 
without  a  certain  weight. 

I  will  endeavor  to  state  as  succinctly  as  practicable  the 
present  condition  of  the  Aleutian  people  and  its  relation  to 
their  past  condition,  the  position  which  they  hold  in  regard  to 
the  traders,  and  what  action  seems  to  me  desirable  on  the  part 
of  the  Government  to  protect  its  honor  and  their  rights  frjom 
invasion. 

Briefly,  the  past  may  be  summed  up  in  the  statement  that 
the  Aleuts  were  found  by  the  early  Eussian  explorers  a  race 
possessed  of  much  intelligence,  not  without  spirit,  yet  far  less 
warlike  and  aggressive  than  the  Eskimo  of  Kodiak  and  else- 
where, (who  are  usually  confounded  with  the  Aleuts,)  and  an 
entirely  different  i)eople  in  character  and  disposition  from  the 
Indians  of  the  coast  or  the  interior.  They  were  reduced  by 
the  most  barbarous  and  inhuman  treatment  to  less  than  10  per 
cent,  of  their  original  numbers,  and  were  regarded  as  the  slaves 
of  the  traders. 

The  first  reaction  against  this  system  took  place  in  1794,  and 
then  and  afterward  in  1799,  1805,  and  especially  1818,  the 
Eussian  government,  recognizing  its  duty,  interposed  between 
the  Aleuts  and  the  trading  companies  regulations  intended  to 
curb  the  exactions  of  the  latter  and  improve  the  condition  of 
the  former. 

In  1824,  Father  Inuocentius  Yeniaminoff,  a  noble  and 
devoted  missionary,  now  primate  of  the  Greek  Church,  began 
his  labors  among  the  Aleuts,  and  to  him  is  due  directly  most 
of  their  improvement,  mental  and  moral,  since  the  time  men- 
tioned. In  18G1  and  18G2  the  report  of  Imperial  Commissioner 
Golovin  was  prepared  and  submitted,  and  the  result  showing 
that  the  regulations  of  the  government  had  been  more  or 
less  unsuccessful  in  checking  the  rapacity  of  the  traders,  their 
charter  was  not  renewed. (1) 

In  the  Eussian  plan,  the  Aleuts  were  in  a  condition  of  serf- 
dom to  the  company  which  controlled  the  colonies.  Yet  the 
coaipauy  had  its  own  obligations  to  fulfill  toward  them,  and 
when  these  were  enforced,  no  Eussian,  except  the  commander 
of  a  trading-post,  could  strike  a  native  ;  the  Aleuts  were  in- 
sured a  subsistence  :  the  making  of  quass,  a  fermented  liquor, 
of  which  the  basis  is  meal  and  sugar  or  molasses,  was  forbid- 
den under  heavy  penalties,  and  intoxicating  spirits  were  only 


ALASKA.  231 

fiiruished  to  the  natives  when  actually  engaged  in  heavy 
manual  labor  for  the  company,  and  then  in  very  limited  quan- 
tities. Schools  were  obliged  to  be  maintained  by  the  company, 
in  which  the  priests  were  usually  the  teachers,  and  though 
these  were  of  rather  a  poor  character,  yet  the  children  who 
manifested  more  than  usual  abilitv  were  able  to  enter  a  higher 
seminary  at  Sitka,  and  to  obtain  in  this  manner  a  tolerable 
education,  for  which  in  return  they  were  bound  to  the  com- 
]»any's  service  at  stated  wages  for  a  term  of  years.  A  number 
of  individualsthuseducated(2)  participated  with  creditto  them- 
selves in  the  exploration  of  the  Territory,  and  commanded  ves- 
sels belonging  to  the  company,  or  otherwise  hekl  positigns  of 
responsibility.  The  entire  race  became  christianized,  their  re- 
ligion being  of  a  low  type  it  is  true,  but  unmistakably  earnest 
and  devoted. 

So  much  for  the  past.  Under  this  system  of  tutelage  the 
Aleuts  lost  almost  entirely  tlie  feeling  of  Independence  or  the 
capacity  for  independent  action  and  self-guidance. 

In  describing  their  present  condition,  I  mast  premise  that  no 
one  who  lias  studied  them  at  all  has  ever  placed  them  in  a  light 
which  would  class  them  with  our  wild  and  unruly  Indian  tribes, 
and  that  the  care  and  endeavors  wasted  on  some  of  these  should 
not  be  taken  as  factors  in  forming  a  judgment  of  what  is  desir- 
able or  practicable  to  be  done  for  the  Aleuts.  The  latter  are  a 
mild,  intelligent,  and  docile  people,  always  ready  to  submit  to 
authority,  even  if  groundless  or  self-constituted. 

1  have  visited  personally  all  the  principal  settlements  in  the 
Pribiloff  and  Aleutian  Islands,  and  with  Ouualashka  am  especi- 
ally familiar,  having  wintered  here  and  been  brought  into  tol' 
erably  close  relations  with  the  people  during  the  last  three 
years. 

The  settlements  can  be  assigned  to  four  principal  groups,  ex- 
cluding that  of  Attn,  which  I  am  informed  is  about  to  be  aban- 
doned. These  are  Atka,  Ouualashka,  Belkoffsky,  and  the  Shu- 
magiu  Islands.  There  are  a  number  of  very  small  outlying  set- 
tlements, but  all  of  them  are  closely  contiguous  to  one  or  the 
other  of  these  principal  places. 

The  people  of  Atka  are  more  enterprising  and  intelligent  in 
hunting,  and  have  been  less  demoralized  by  contact  with 
traders  ;  the  converse  is  true  of  Belkoftsky  and  the  Shuinagins  ; 
otherwise  the  uniformity  of  character  and  condition  through- 
out the  Aleutian  chain  is  remarkable.     The  people  of  the  Pribi- 


232  ALASKA. 

loff  group  have  been  under  exceptional  conditions  for  several 
years.  They  have  had  schools,  (after  a  fashion,)  steady  and 
renumerative  enii)loynient,  a  resident  physician,  and  are  able 
to  purchase  provisions  and  other  necessaries  at  a  reasonable 
price ;  hence  they  cannot  be  compared  with  the  others  who 
have  had  none  of  these  advantages.  That  the  former  show  the 
good  effects  of  their  situation,  it  is  hardly  necessary  to  state. 

The  relations  between  these  people  and  the  traders,  or,  more 
strictly,  with  the  one  trading  company  which  has  at  present  an 
overwhelming  predominance  throughout  the  xVleutian  region, 
are  peculiar,  and  require  a  word  of  explanation. 

The  Aleuts,  except  on  the  Pribilofl'  Islands,  gain  a  livelihood 
by  hunting  the  sea-otter  and  by  fishing.  None  of  the  islands 
afford  any  subsistence  except  that  drawn  from  the  sea. 

To  hunt  or  fish,  in  fact  to  live,  the  Aleut  is  totally  depend- 
ent on  his  skin-canoe.  To  make  this  canoe  he  must  have  hair- 
seal  or  sea-lion  skins.  From  various  causes  the  sea-lions  are 
not  now  to  be  found,  as  formerly,  within  reach  of  the  large  set- 
tlements, except  on  the  Pribilofif  Islands.  This  made  no  differ- 
ence under  the  Eussian  rule,  as  the  sea-lion  skins  were  taken 
under  the  company's  direction  at  the  Pribiloff  Islands,  and  were 
then  distributed  to  the  various  points  wliere  they  were  needed, 
and  were  given  to  the  Aleuts  gratis.  Xow,  on  the  contrary, 
they  are  obliged  to  buy  them,  and  to  buy  them  of  the  company, 
who  hold  the  lease  of  the  Pribiloff  Islands,  except  in  very  rare 
cases.  As  the  company's  agents,  in  the  natural  course  of  busi- 
ness, will  sell  these  materials  only  to  those  natives  who  are 
known  to  bring  all  their  furs  to  the  company's  store  for  sale,  it 
follows  that  the  lease  of  the  fur-seal  islands  carries  with  it  a 
practical  monopoly  of  all  the  fur-trade  of  the  Aleutian  nation, 
that  is  to  say,  the  sea-otter  as  well  as  the  seal  trade. (3) 

Though  questions  may  arise  in  the  minds  of  those  less  famil- 
iar with  the  subject  than  myself  as  to  the  necessity  of  this  mo- 
nopoly, it  is  suflicient  to  say  that  it  is  a  fact,  and,  joined  with 
the  very  great  profits  of  the  seal-trade,  gives  such  a  weight  to 
a  company  possessing  these  advantages  as  to  enable  them  to 
kill  out  all  opposition  traders,  or  to  reduce  their  business  and 
influence  to  a  nullity.  In  point  of  fact,  then,  except  in  Belkoff- 
sky  and  the  Shumagins,  where  sea-lion  are  yet  obtainable  by 
the  natives  without  the  intervention  of  the  company,  the  latter 
is  in  the  possession  of  absolute  and  unchecked  power  over  the 
whole  Aleut  nation. 


ALASKA.  233 

Before  proceeding  to  discuss  how  this  power  Las  been  exer- 
cised, it  is  necessary  to  call  attention  to  certain  characteristics 
of  the  natives  which  your  own  observation  will  doubtless  con- 
firm. Like  all  races  of  a  low  degree  of  civilization,  the  attrac- 
tion which  intoxicating  liquors,  fermented  or  distilled,  exercises 
over  them  is  not  equaled  by  any  other  influence  to  whicli  they 
are  subjected.  The  manufacture  of  quass,  whicb  they  derived 
from  the  Eussians,  although  prohibited  by  the  regulations  of 
the  Eussiau  company,  has  become  a  universal  practice,  and, 
joined  to  the  absence  of  any  elevating  influences,  such  as 
schools,  or  the  supervision  of  agents  deriving  their  authority 
from  the  Government,  is  rapidly  and  surely  degrading  the 
character  and  increasing  the  mortality  of  the  Aleuts.  NA'here- 
ever  opposition  traders  meet,  they  both  connive  at  this 
infamy,  and  in  such  places  the  deterioration  of  the 
people  is  more  marked  and  rapid.  There  are  no  grounds  for 
stating,  nor  is  it  my  opinion,  that  the  present  company  has 
abused  its  positiou  more  than  any  other  would  do  in  the  same 
case ;  this,  however,  is  not  the  question  at  issue,  but  whether 
it  is  consistent  with  the  honor  of  the  Government  and  with  its 
duty  toward  a  people  who  occupy  the  position  of  wards  of  the 
United  States  to  leave  them  in  a  condition  where  the  grossest 
tyranny  is  possible,  and  where  gradual  degradation  and  re- 
lapse into  barbarism  is  certain.  Let  us  examine  for  a  moment 
the  condition  of  the  Territory.  There  is  absolutely  no  law,  no 
means  of  protection,  no  redress  for  injury  for  any  citizen  of  the 
United  States  even,  to  say  nothing  of  natives.(4)  A  number  of 
murders  among  the  whites  have  occurred  during  the  past  few 
years.  Only  one  man  was  ever  apprehended,  and  I  am  in- 
formed that  he  was  discharged  by  the  courts  of  Washington 
Territory  for  want  of  jurisdiction.  That  acts  of  injustice  and 
oppression  have  occurred  between  the  traders  and  the  com- 
pany I  have  abundant  evidence,  though  such  things  are  not 
likely  to  occur  in  the  presence  of  a  United  States  ofticer.  Sup- 
pose some  act  of  gross  injustice  should  occur,  in  what  way  would 
the  unfortunate  Aleut  make  his  troubles  known,  if  his  long  ex- 
perience under  the  Russians,  and  disappointed  hopes  under  the 
various  visits  of  United  States  officials,  had  not  taught  him 
that  the  best  way  was  to  bear  it  in  silence  ? 

If  he  desired  to  communicate  with  civilization,  the  only 
mails  are  by  the  company's  vessels,  and  I  have  positive  evi- 
dence that  they  do  not  always  respect  even  the  sanctity  of  offi- 


23'4  ALASKA. 

cial    communicatioDS  intrusted   to  their  agect  for  transinis- 
siou.(5) 

Does  be  desire  to  communicate  with  the  cutter  during  her 
annual  visit,  (if  he  is  fortunate  enough  to  live  in  Ounalashka 
when  she  does  come,)  he  knows  that  a  year  must  elapse  before 
any  result  can  be  attained,  and  meanwhile  he  will  be  subjected 
to  ill-treatment  from  the  agent  of  whom  he  has  complained, 
intensified  by  the  knowledge  that  complaint  has  been  niade.(O) 

In  old  times  each  village  had  a  tyone  or  chief  elected  by 
suffrage,  whose  duty  it  was  to  be  present  at  all  trade,  and  arbi- 
trate between  the  traders  and  the  natives,  and  jirevent  any 
cheating  of  the  latter  by  the  former.  I;?ow,  the  tyone  is  the 
creature  of  the  company,  paid  by  them  ;  if  there  are  opposition 
traders  there  are  two  tyones,  and  it  is  evident  how  impartial 
must  be  their  arbitration,  and  what  is  the  character  of  the  pro- 
tection they  afford. 

The  Kussians  left  these  people  with  their  self-reliance  en- 
feebled, but  their  intelligence  and  morals  elevated  to  some 
extent  above  their  original  condition.  We  have  done  nothing- 
to  sustain  them  in  this  position,  nor  to  cultivate  their  self-reli- 
ance. 

I  think  I  may  say  that  inquiries  on  your  part  in  relation  to 
specific  acts  of  oppression  would  be  quite  fruitless.  Those  na- 
tives who  may  have  suffered  have  long  since  learned  by  experi- 
ence that  complaints  result  in  nothing  unless  in  an  aggravation 
of  the  original  difficulty,  and  the  tyone  paid  by  the  company 
can  always  bring  forward  evidence  such  as  his  employers  may 
desire.  I  must  again  repeat,  that  it  is  not  a  question  of  punish- 
ing actual  offenses,  but  of  providing  against  the  perpetration 
of  them  ;  and  to  await  outrages  so  gross  as  to  force  their  way 
to  our  ears,  before  extending  protection,  is  to  wait  till  the  stable 
is  empty  before  locking  the  door. 

I  do  not  blame  the  traders  for  doing  little  or  nothing  to  ele- 
vate or  improve  the  natives.(7)  It  is  not  their  business  ;  and, 
even  if  they  were  willing  to  work  against  their  own  pecuniary 
interest  in  this  way,  it  still  should  not  be  left  to  them. 

The  description  of  men  who  gain  their  livelihood  as  fur- 
traders  are,  with  rare  exceptions,  unfit  to  be  trusted  with  abso- 
lute power  over  unresisting  natives,  notwithstanding  the  pos- 
sible high  character  of  the  distant  heads  of  the  company  who 
employ  them. 


ALASKA.  235 

What  tliou  sLould  be  douo  to  regulate  tbe  actiou  of  the  two 
parties  ? 

It  is  with  some  hesitation  that  I  ofit'er  my  opiuion  on  so  grave 
a  question.  One  thiug  I  feel  certain  of:  the  manufacture  of 
quass  should  be  put  down,  and  no  intoxicating  liquor  should 
be  allowed  to  enter  the  country  on  any  pretext  whatever. 

I  think  it  tbe  duty  of  the  Government  to  provide  schools  for 
the  younger  people,  who  are  growing  up  in  ignorance,  while 
many  of  their  parents  can  read  and  write  in  the  EusSian  lan- 
guage. These  schools  should  teach  the  rudiments  of  English 
education,  and  should  be  free  from  any  religious  bias,  as  other- 
wise they  would  tail.     Attendance  should  be  made  comi)ulsory. 

But  it  may  be  said  that  this  would  require  many  otlicials  and 
great  expense  to  get  at  the  separated  communities.  I  think  I 
can  show  that  this  need  not  necessarily  be  the  case.  Suppose 
that  the  laws  governing  the  Indian  reservations  were  extended 
over  the  Aleutian  region.  A  beginning  could  be  made  at  the 
four  principal  places  I  have  named,  or  at  one  or  more  of  them ; 
and  extended,  or  the  plan  modified,  as  experience  would  show 
desirable.  The  few  outlying  smaller  settlements  could  be 
reached  from  these,  if  not  at  once,  at  least  eventually.  Let  the 
settlement  be  declared  a  reservation,  and  the  resident  oflicial 
invested  with  the  powers  of  an  Indian  agent,  and  supplemented 
by  a  schoolmaster.  Then  the  first  would  be  in  a  position  to 
arbitrate  between  the  natives  and  traders  in  disputed  cases, 
and  to  enforce  justice  on  both  sides.(S) 

I  have  not  arrived  at  that  point  where  I  should  believe  that 

the  Government  habitually  employs  dishonest  agents,  though 

long  experience  in  Alaska  might  shake  auj  man's  optimism. 

At  all  events,  it  seems  to  me  to  be  the  duty  of  the  Government 
to  act  in   the  matter,  if  only  to  save  its  own  honor.     I  think 

there  is  a  duty  involved  aside  from  economical  considerations. 
The  citizens,  if  not  the  wards  of  the  United  States,  are  entitled 
to  the  protection  of  the  law,  and  it  should  be  extended  to  them. 
Whether  the  method  which  I  have  suggested  is  the  best  or  not 
is  a  question  to  be  decided  by  others,  but  I  cannot  see  how 
there  can  be  two  opinions  about  the  duty  of  extending  the  pro- 
tection of  the  laws  and  an  oi)portunity  for  education  to  these 
and  other  civilized  inhabitants  of  this  Territory. 

That  these  are  now  wanting  no  honest  or  sane  man  can  deny. 

It  would  be  very  desirable,  also,  that  the  headquarters  of  au- 
thority  in   the  Territory  be  transferred  to  Ounalashka.     It  is 


236  ALASKA. 

the  most  important  and  central  point;  Out  even  Kodiak  would 
be  better  than  Sitka,  which  has  now  no  importance  and  hardly 
any  business.(9) 

Apologizing  for  having  trespassed  on  your  attention  with  so 
lengthy  a  communication,  I  will  now  close  this  letter  with  one 
remark,  which  has  no  special  connection  with  the  foregoing,  but 
which  I  believe  of  some  importance.  This  is,  that  it  would  be 
very  desirable  that  the  officers  of  the  United  States  em^jloyed 
on  the  Pribiloft*  Islands  should  be  prohibited  from  receiving 
pay  from,  or  rendering  services  for  pay  to,  the  company  whom 
practically  they  are  placed  there  to  watch.  That  this  has  oc- 
curred in  several  instances  I  am  aware,  and  probably  in  some 
cases  without  any  improper  intent  on  either  side ;  but  it  is  ev- 
ident at  once  that  it  oiDens  a  wide  door  for  scandal,  if  not  for 
fraud.(lO) 

I  remain,  with  great  respect,  yours,  very  truly, 

\YM.  H.  DixL, 
Acting  Assistant  United  States  Coast-Survey, 

In  charge  Hi/drographic  Reconnaissance  of  Alaska. 
Messrs.  H.  W.  Elliott  and 
Washburn  Maynaed,  C.  S.  N., 

United  States  Commissioners. 

COMMENTS  UPON  THE  FOREGOING  LETTER. 

(1)  The  fact  the  Russian  American  Company,  at  the  close  of  its 
third  term  of  twenty  years,  in  18C2,  was  over  two  millions  of  sil- 
ver rubles  in  debt  may  have  had  a  great  deal  to  do  with  the 
failure  in  getting  a  renewal  of  its  charter.  A  losing  business  is 
not  often  persisted  in  a  great  while  by  either  corporations  or  in- 
dividuals. The  extravagance  and  shiftlessness  in  the  manage- 
ment of  affairs  in  Alaska  by  the  officers  of  the  Russian  Ameri- 
can Company,  during  the  last  twenty  or  thirty  years  of  its  exist- 
ence, may  alone  have  tended  to  the  result. 

(2)  Here  Mr.  Dall,  not  directly  perhaps,  but  plainly,  gives  us 
to  understand  that  a  number  of  natives,  Aleuts,  were  educated 
in  Russian  schools,  and  ''participated  with  great  credit  to  them- 
selves in  the  exploration  of  the  Territory,  and  commanded  ves- 
sels belonging  to  the  company,  or  otherwise  held  positions  of 
responsibility.'''  This  is  a  mistake  ;  for  these  people,  serving  with 
suchcredit,  educated  by  the  company  in  question,  were  not  Aleuts, 
hut  Creoles,  or  half-breeds,  and  octoroons.  There  is  no  record  of 
Any  service  rendered  the  Russian  company  by  the  Aleuts,  other 


ALASKA.  237 

thau  that  of  good,  honest  manual  hibor,  with  the  exception  of 
a  certain  Aleut  named  Oostigov,  who  at  Sitka  "was  considered 
a  fair  navigator."  These  people  made  good  ordinary  carpenters, 
blacksmiths,  coopers,  locksmiths,  and  sailors^good  enough  for 
the  IJassian  service — but  such  a  grade  of  labor  will  not  satisfy 
our  traders  or  captains;  and  there  is,  therefore,  no  demand  for 
such  upon  these  i)eople,  and  there  never  will  be,  as  long  as  the 
country  is  under  American  control.  AYe  have  in  San  Francisco 
to-day  too  many  idle  workmen  of  all  grades  better  thau  the  Aleuts 
could  be  made,  and  when  such  labor  is  wanted  in  Alaska,  these 
men  will  be  employed  there.  Eemoving  the  Eussian  Company 
from  the  country  leaves  no  future  employment  whatever  for  the 
Aleuts,  in  the  capacity  above  mentioned,  no  matter  what  may  be- 
their  educational  advantages. 

(3)  That  Mr.  Dall  can  advance  such  an  argument  in  regard 
to  the  monopoly  of  the  fur- trade  of  the  Aleutian  Islandsby  the 
control  of  the  sea-lion  skins  of  the  Pry  bilov  Islands  is  very  strange, 
for  the  fact  is,  that  any  trader  to-day  who  may  deem  the  fur- 
trade  of  that  section  worth  the  outlay  necessary  to  fit  up  a  small 
schooner  or  sloop,  and  send  it  out  every  other  season  equipped 
for  sea  lion  hunting  among  the  Aleutian  Islands,  ou  the  north  side 
of  the  Peninsula  and  those  islands  south  of  it,  can  secure  skins 
enough  for  the  entire  use  of  the  whole  Aleutian  population !    An 
annual  outlay  of  only  $2,500  is  all  that  is  necessary  for  an  oppo- 
sition trader  at  Ounalashka  to  place  himself  on  the  same  foot- 
ing, in  this  respect,  with  his  present  rival  there.     Whether  the 
fur-trade  of  that  district  is  worth  enough  to  warrant  this  small 
expenditure  or  not  is  a  matter  for  the  traders  themselves  to 
settle,  not  us,  but  the  fact  speaks  for  itself.    Even  if  there  were 
no  sea-lions  except  on  the  Prybilov  Islands,  (which  is  not  true,) 
the  traders  who  take  any  interest  in  this  section  are  perfectly  in- 
dependent of  the  Alaska  Commercial  Company,  for  there  are 
thousands  upon  thousands  of  walrus  not  four  hundred  miles 
from  Ounalashka,  the  skins  of  which  can  be  made,  with  a  little 
morelabor,  quite  as  valuable  for  covering  the  bidarkies  or  canoes 
of  the  sea-otter  hunters  5  if  anything,  they  are  more  durable, 
and  these  walrus  can  be  obtained  as  easily  as  so  many  hogs  or 

sheep. 

(4)  In  this  paragraph  I  concur ;  it  is  true. 

(5)  This  is  a  case  in  which  I  think,  or  rather  know,  that  Mr. 
Dall  casts  an  unworthy  reflection  upon  the  Alaska  Commercial 
Company  without  just  ground.    The  facts  are  as  follows :  lu 


238  ALASKA. 

tlie  spring-  of  1872  llie  Alaska  Commercial  Company  sent  a  man 
from  San  Francisco,  on  trial,  to  serve  as  assistant  agent  at 
Ounalaslika :  be  was  found  wanting,  and  in  less  tbau  six  mouths 
from  the  time  of  his  engagement  he  was.  dismissed  from  its 
service  as  unfit  and  incompetent.  Mr.  Dall  had  given  a  letter 
to  the  j)erson  in  question,  while  that  person  was  acting  for  the 
company  as  assistant  trader  at  Ounalashka,  for  transmission  to 
the  i)ostmaster  at  San  Francisco.  This  letter  contained  a  small 
sum  of  money,  (a  twenty-dollar  greenback,  I  believe,)  and  never 
reached  its  destination.  I  am,  of  course,  not  prepared  to  say 
whether  the  man  robbed  the  letter  or  not ;  but  I  should  acquit 
the  company  of  collusion  in  so  contemptible  a  matter,  even  if 
this  man  did  do  so.  Then,  again,  'Mv.  Dall  writes  this  letter  with 
the  ship  of  an  opposition  trader  laying  over  ten  days  at  anchor 
in  the  same  harbor  with  us — no  other  vessels  than  those  of  the 
company  to  carry  the  mails ! 

(0)  This  is  one  of  the  reasons  why  1  ask  for  a  steam  revenue- 
vessel  in  this  Territory:  it  is  impossible  for  a  sailingcutier  to  go 
about  from  place  to  place,  as  she  ought  to  do. 

(7)  In  this  case  I  think  I  have  shown,  in  a  foregoing  chap- 
ter, that,  contrary  to  Mr.  DalFs  statement,  it  is  to  the  direct 
interest  of  traders  to  do  all  i)i  their  power  to  improve  and  elevate 
the  natives,  and  that  the  natives  are  to-day  living,  at  Ounalashka 
and  elsewhere  in  the  Aleutian  district,  in  better  condition  than 
they  have  ever  lived  before. 

The  traders,  however,  differ  in  their  appreciation  of  this  truth ; 
but  two  very  successful  traders  in  the  Territory,  Capt.  E.  Hen- 
nig  and  M.  Mercier,  have  given  me  good  reason  for  making 
this  statement — so  emphatic  :  a  trader  who  does  the  best  by  the 
natives  will  be  the  better  served  by  them.  Father  Shiesnekov 
makes  a  deliberate  statement  which  I  print  in  this  appendix 
(page  226)  that  conflicts  with  Mr.  Dall's  decidedly-,  and  as  this' 
priest  has  spent  over  tweutj'-five  mature  years  of  active  intelli- 
g,eut  labor  among  these  people,  his  judgment  is  worth  some- 
thing, inasmuch  as  he  "  has  seen  more  of  the  country  than  any 
other  individual,"  and  no  one  can  controvert  the  fact. 

(8)  This  policy  of  Mr.  Ball's,  of  declaring-  four  or  five  Indian 
reservations  in  the  Aleutian  district,  with  an  Indian  agent  and 
schoolmaster  in  each,  would,  in  my  best  judgment,  amount  to 
nothing-  but  discord  and  mischief.  What  security  can  the  Gov- 
ernment have  for  the  disinterestedness  and  honesty  of  its  Indian 
agents  ?    Arc  such  agents  to  tell  the  traders  in  the  country 


ALASKA.  239 

how  much  tbey  shall  pay  the  natives,  or  to  advise  the  natives 
how  to  meet  the  traders "!  I  iiterf'erence  thus  b^'  the  Govorninent 
with  the  relationship  of  the  traders  to  the  natives  will  surely 
he  bad;  i.e.,  if  the  natives  are  fleeced  now,  they  will,  with 
an  Indian  agent  arbitrating,  be  doubly  fleeced.  The  poor 
Aleuts  are  the  gainers  by  having  only  one  power,  the  traders, 
to  deal  with,  as  at  present,  or  they  could  not  live  as  they  do. 
There  is  no  middle  ground  here.  If  Alaska  is  an  Indian  reser- 
vation, then  there  can  be  no  white  people  there  ;  if  not,  then 
Government  cannot  interfere  with  legitimate  trade. 

With  regard  to  the  schoolmasters,  were  the  Government  able 
to  select  and  send  the  most  zealous  and  excellent  of  their  class, 
they  would  find  in  this  Territory  a  barren  field.  Let  the  Greek 
Catholic  Church  continue  its  work  ;  it  is  the  only  power  that 
can  accomplish  any  good  in  the  mental  future  of  the  Aleut. 

(9)  I  think  myself  that  Ounalashka  is  the  best  place,  but 
Kodiak  is  more  central. 

(10)  I  happened  to  be  talking  about  this  matter,  in  tiie 
spring  of  1872,  with  one  of  the  persons,  perhaps,  of  whom  Mr. 
Dall  complains.  It  is,  however,  a  very  clear  case,  and  the  oidy 
one  that  has  occurred  since  the  granting  of  the  lease,  and  in  no 
way  improper ;  but  "  as  it  opens  a  wide  door  for  scandal,  if  not 
for  fraud,"  I  was  assured  by  the  company  that  the  thing  should 
never  again  occur.  The  facts  are  these :  During  the  sojourn  of 
one  of  the  Government  agents,  stationed  on  the  islands,  this 
gentleman  took  a  deep  interest  in  the  language  of  the  Aleuts, 
being  himself  a  linguist  of  fine  accomplishment ;  the  agent  of 
the  company  conceived  the  idea  of  getting  him  to  teach  the 
school,  on  account  of  his  knowledge  of  the  Russian,  which  the 
schoolmaster  employed  did  not  possess,  in  the  hope  that  the 
school  would  be  more  attractive  to  the  native  children.  During 
the  winter,  therefore,  the  Government  officer  voluntarily  taught 
school,  although  the  attendance  was  small,  for  reasons  which  I 
have  given  in  the  body  of  my  report.  The  oidy  other  instance 
where  anything  of  this  kind  had  occurred  was  in  the  case  of 
this  same  gentleman,  who  had  with  great  labor  and  pains  com- 
piled an  English  and  Aleutian  vocabulary,  which  was  deemed 
by  the  Alaska  Commercial  Company  to  be  of  value  for  the  use 
of  their  traders,  and  they  purchased  it  for  some  8100, 1  believe, 
soon  after  the  connection  of  this  gentleman  with  the  Seal 
Islands  was  dissolved.  But  long  before  the  date  of  Mr.  Dall's 
letter  the  company's  agent  informed  me  of  this  action  on  their 


240  ALASKA. 

part,  and,  at  the  same  time,  auiioiinced  tlieir  determinatiou  to 
do  so  no  more,  in  consequence  of  its  liability  to  iiiisrepiesenta- 
tiou.  This  Government  as'ent  left  the  Seal  Islands  in  1872,  at 
liis  own  request,  on  account  of  the  isolation  and  distance  from 
his  family,  and  has  been  in  Washington,  employed  in  the  Treas- 
ury Department,  ever  since.  ]\Iost  likely,  in  this  matter  Mr. 
Dall  refers  to  transactions  that  took  place  on  the  islands  before 
the  granting  of  the  lease,  and  of  which  I  have  no  knowledge 
other  than  that  of  hearsay ;  but  as  to  what  has  transpired  on 
these  islands  since  the  inauguration  of  the  present  state  of 
affairs,  I  am  fully  cognizant ;  that  which  took  place  previous 
to  this  is  now  of  no  importance.  It  was  a  disorderly  medley 
of  civil  and  military  authority,  and,  as  near  as  I  can  learn, 
reflects  no  special  credit  upon  any  of  the  officers  concerned  on 
the  part  of  the  Government. 


ALASKA.  241 

THE  PlilBYLOV  ISLANDS* 

"  Under  the  name  of  the  Pryhilov  Islands  are  known  two  small 
islands  lying  in  Bering  Sea,  between  50^  and  57°  north  lati- 
tude and  168°  and  170°  west  longitude. 

"  These  islands  were  not  known  before  the  year  178G;  mater 
G.  FrybUov,  then  in  the  service  of  a  swan-hunting  company, 
first,  in  the  Kussian  name,  found  them,  but  at  the  same  time  he 
was  not  the  first  discoverer,  because,  as  before  said,  (Part  I, 
chap.  1,)  on  one  of  them  (southwest  side  of  Saint  Paul)  signs, 
such  as  a  pipe,  brass  knife  handle,  and  traces  of  fire  were 
found,  indicating  that  people  had  been  there  before,  but  not 
long,  as  places  were  observed  where  the  grass  had  been  burned 
and  scorched.  But  if  we  can  believe  the  Aleuts  in  what  they 
relate,  the  islands  were  known  to  them  long  before  they  were 
visited  by  the  Russians.  They  knew  and  called  them  '■  Ateeli'' 
after  having  heard  about  them. 

"  Eegad-dah  geek,  a  sou  of  an  Oonimak  chief  by  the  name  of 
Ah-kak-nee-kak,  was  taken  out  to  sea  in  a  bidarkie  by  a  storm, 
the  "wind  blowing  strong  from  the  south.  He  could  not  get  back 
to  the  beach,  nor  could  he  make  any  other  landing,  and  was 
obliged  to  run  before  the  wind  three  or  four  days,  when  he 
brought  up  on  Saint  Paul's  Island,  north  from  the  land  which 
he  had  been  compelled  to  leave.  Here  he  remained  until  autumn, 
and  became  acquainted  with  the  hunting  of  different  animals. 
Elegant  weather  one  day  setting  in,  lie  saw  the  peaks  of  Ooni- 
mak. He  then  resolved  to  put  to  sea,  and  return  to  receive  the 
thanks  of  his  people  there ;  and,  after  three  or  four  days  of  trav- 
eling, he  arrived  at  Oonimak,  with  many  otter  tails  and  snouts.t 

"  The  islands  were  both  at  first  without  vegetation,  with  ex- 
ception of  Saint  Paul's,  where  there  was  a  small  talneek  creep- 
ing along  on  the  ground ;  and  on  Saint  George,  if  we  believe 

*  Translated  by  the  writer  from  Bishop  luuoceut  Veniaminov's  work 
"  Zapieska  ob  Octrovali  Ooualilasbkenskalio  Otdayla.  St.  Petersburg,  1840. 
(The  only  Enssiau  treatise  upon  the  subject  found.  The  selections  most  per- 
tinent to  the  subject  are  introduced  alone  in  this  translation.)    H.  W.  E. 

t  Here  Veniaminov  says  that  he  does  feel  inclined  to  believe  this  story,  as 
the  peaks  of  Oonimak  can  be  seen  occasionally  f"om  Saint  Paul's !  I  have  no 
hesitation  in  saying  that  they  were  never  observed  by  any  mortal  eye  from 
the  Prybilov  Group.  The  wide  expanse  of  water  between  these  points,  and 
the  thick,  foggy  air  of  Bering  Sea,  especially  so  at  the  season  mentioned  iu 
this  story  above,  will  always  make  the  mountains  of  Oonimak  invisible  to. 
the  eye  from  Saint  Paul's  Island.  A  mirage  is  almost  an  impossibility;  it 
may  have  been  much  more  probable  if  the  date  was  a  winter  one.— II.  W.  E. 

IG  AL 


242  ALASKA. 

the  accounts  of  tbe  lirst  ones  there  to  see,  nothing  grew,  even 
grass,  except  on  the  places  where  the  carcasses  of  dead  animals 
rotted.  In  the  course  of  time  both  islands  were  covered  with 
grass,  a  great  part  of  it  being  of  the  sedge  kind.  On  them  are 
two  varieties  of  berries,  &c.,  &c. 

"  The  Aleuts  serving  the  company  here  sustained  the  follow- 
ing relations  between  themselves  a"nd  it,  to  wit :  Each  of  them 
worked  without  solicitation  and  at  whatever  was  found,  and  to 
which  they  were  directed,  or  that  which  they  understood;  Pay- 
ment for  their  toil  was  not  established  by  the  day  or  by  the 
year,  but  in  general  for  each  thing  taken  by  them  or  standing 
or  put  to  their  credit  by  the  company  ;  for  instance,  especially, 
the  skins  of  animals,  the  teeth  of  walrus,  barrels  of  oil,  &c. 
These  sums,  whatever  they  might  be,  were  placed  by  the  com- 
pany to  their  credit,  for  all  general  hunting  and  working  was 
established  or  fixed  for  the  whole  year  fairly.  The  Aleuts  in 
general  received  no  specific  wages,  though  they  were  not  all 
alike  or  equal,  there  being  usually'  three  or  four  classes. 

"  In  these  classes,  to  the  last  or  least,  the  sick  and  old  work- 
men were  counted  in,  although  they  were  only  burdens,  and 
therefore  they  received  the  smaller  shares,  about  150  rubles, 
and  the  other  and  better  classes  received  from  220  to  250  rubles 
a  year.  Those  who  were  zealous  were  rewarded  bv  the  com- 
pany  with  50  to  100  rubles.  The  wives  of  the  Aleuts,  who 
worked  only  at  the  seal-hunting,  received  from  25  to  35  rubles.* 

^'Animals  on  the  Frybilov  Islands. — Foxes  and  mice.  Some- 
times the  ice  brings  bears  and  red  foxes.  The  bears  were  never 
allowed  to  live  since  they  could  not  be  made  useful ;  and  also 
the  red  foxes,  as  they  would  only  spoil  the  breed  already  exist- 
ing, with  regard  to  color  of  the  fur. 

"Fur-seals,  sea-lions,  hair-seals,  and  a  few  walrus  are  the  only 
animals  that  may  be  said  to  belong  to  the  Prybilov  Islands. 

'•  Birds. — The  gulUemonts,  (or  arries ;)  gulls ;  pufiQns;  crested, 
horned,  and  white-breasted  auks;  snow-finches;  geese,  (two 
kinds ;)  a  few  kinds  of  Tringa  ;  sea-ducks,  black  and  gray.  Most 
of  these  birds  come  here  to  lay,  and  with  them  jagers,  hawks, 
owls,  and  '•  chikees,''  {higLaurus  glaucus,)i\iid  the  albatross  is  fre- 
quently to  be  seen  around  the  beaches." 

^^Seaotfers  became  scarce  generally  in  1811,  and  in  the  next 
thirty  years  extinct. 

*  Compare  this  annual  payment  made  by  the  Russians  with  the  cash  set- 
tlement made  every  year  by  the  Alaska  Commercial  Company,  the  present 
lessee  of  these  islands,  as  presented  in  the  chapter  on  the  condition  of  affairs 
on  the  seal  islands. — H.  W.  E. 


ALASKA.  243 

"  The  fur-seals  ('sea-cats')  astonish  us  by  their  great  num- 
bers, as  they  gradually  come  up  on  to  their  breeding-places, 
notwithstanding  harsh  and  foolish  treatment  of  them,  continued 
almost  half  a  century  (until  1824)  without  mercy. 

"  In  the  first  years,  on  Saint  Paul's  Island,  from  50,000  to 
00,000  were  taken  annually,  and  on  Saint  George  from  40,000 
to  50,000  every  year.  Such  horrible  killing  was  neither  neces- 
sary nor  demanded.  The  skins  were  frequently  taken  without 
any  list  or  count.  In  1803,  800,000  seal-skins  had  accumulated, 
and  it  was  impossible  to  make  advantageous  sale  of  so  many 
skins;  for  in  this  great  number  so  many  were  spoiled  that  it 
•became  necessary  to  cut  or  throw  into  the  sea  700,000  pelts! 
If  G.  Eezanov  (our  minister  to  Japan)  had  not  given  this  his 
attention,  and  put  himself  between  the  animals  and  this  foolish 
management  of  them,  it  appears  plainly  to  me  that  these  crea- 
tures would  have  long  ago  changed  for  the  worse. 

"  Of  the  number  of  skius  taken  up  to  1817, 1  have  no  knowl- 
edge to  rely  upon,  but  from  that  time,  and  up  to  the  present 
writing,  I  have  true  aud  reliable  accounts,  which  I  put  in  the 
appendix  to  this  volume.  From  these  lists  it  will  be  seen  that 
still  in  1820,  on  both  islands,  there  were  killed  more  than  50,000 
seals,  viz,  on  Saint  Paul's,  39,700;  and  on  Saint  George,  10,250. 
There  were  eye-witnesses  to  the  reason  for  this  diminution  of 
the  seals,  and  it  is  only  wonderful  besides  that  they  are  still 
existing,  as  they  have  been  treated  almost  without  mercy  so 
many  years.  The  cows  produce  only  one  pup  each  every  year. 
They  have  known  deadly  enemies,  aud  also  are  still  ex[)osed  to 
man^-foes  unknown.  From  this  killing  of  the  seals  they  steadily 
grew  less,  except  on  one  occasion,  which  was  on  Saint  George's 
Island,  where  an  opportunity  was  given  suddenly  to  kill  a  large 
number ;  but  the  circumstances  do  not  seem  to  be  important. 
On  one  occasion  a  drive  was  made  of  15,000  male  and  female 
seals,  but  the  night  was  dark,  and  it  was  not  practicable  to 
separate  the  cows  from  the  males ;  and  they  were,  therefore, 
allowed  to  stand  over  until  daylight  should  come.  The  men 
put  in  charge  of  the  herding  of  the  drove  were  careless,  and 
the  seals  took  advantage  of  this  negligence,  and  made  an 
attempt  to  escai)e  by  throwing  themselves  from  the  bluffs  over 
the  beach  near  by  into  the  sea ;  but,  as  this  bluff  was  steep, 
high,  rough,  and  slippery,  they  fell  over  and  were  all  injured. 
Xow,  for  the  first  time,  great  numbers  of  seals  were  missed, 
aud  why,  it  was  not  significant  or  apparent ;  but  9n  the  follow- 
ing year,  instead  of  the  appearance  and  catch  of  40,000  or 


244 


ALASKA. 


50,000,  less  tbau  30,000  were  killed  and  taken,  and  then,  too, 
the  numbers  of  seals  were  known  to  diminish,  and  in  the  same 
way,  only  greater,  on  the  other  island.  For  instance,  in  the  first 
years,  on  the  island  of  Saint  George,  the  seals  were  only  five  or 
six  times  less  than  on  Saint  Paul,  but  in  1817  they  were  only 
less  than  one-fourth  ;  but  in  1S2G  they  were  almost  one-sixth 
again. 

"The  diminution  of  seals  there  (Saint  Paul's)  and  on  the 
other  island,  from  1817  to  1835,  was  very  gradual  and  visible 
every  year,  but  not  always  equal. 

"  The  killing  of  seals  in  1S34,  instead  of  being  80,000  or 
GO.OOO,  was  only  15,751  from  both  islands,  (Saint  Paul,  12,700; 
Saint  George's,  3,051)." 

In  the  first  thirty  years,  accordingtoVeniaminov's  best  under- 
standing, there  were  taken  'hnorethan  tico  and  a  half  millions  of 
sealsliins  ;^^  then,  in  the  next  twenty-one  years,  up  to  1838,  they 
took  578,924.  During  this  last  taking,  from  1817  to  1838,  the 
skins  were  worth  on  an  average  "  no  more  than  30  rubles  each," 
($0  apiece.) 

"A  great  many  sea-otters  {Eiihydra  marina)  were  found  oa 
Saint  Paul's  Island  at  first,  and  as  many  as  50,000  were  taken 
from  the  island,  but  years  have  passed  since  one  has  been  seen 
in  the  vicinity,  even,  of  the  islands." 

TuhJe  I,  Part  II,  Bishop  Veniaminor^s  ZapicsM,  c^-c,  sliowin/]  llie  seal-catch  dur- 
ing the  period  of  gradual  diminution  of  life  on  the  islands  from  1S17  down  to 
1836,  the  year  of  scarcity,  and  from  wliich  date  Ihei/  have  as  gradually  increased 
np  to  the  present  number,  their  maximum  limit  in  a  state  of  nature,  at  which  the 
seal-life  has  stood  during  the  past  twenty  years  ;  the  killing  has  also  been  grad- 
nally  increased  up  to  the  present  figure,  100,000  annually.       « 


Taken  from  — 

1817. 

1818. 

1819. 

1820. 

1821. 

1822. 

1823. 

Saint  Panl'H  IslaTul 

47,  8G0 
12,  328 

45,  932 
13, 924 

40,  300 
11,  924 

39,  700 
10,  520 

35,  750 
9,245 

28, 150 
8,319 

24  100 

Saiut  George's  Island 

5,773 

Total 

60, 188 

59,  856 

52, 225 

50,  220 

44,  995 

36,  469 

29, 873 

■      Taken  from— 

1824. 

1825. 

1826. 

1827. 

1828. 

18,  450 

4,773 

1829. 

1830. 

Saint  Panl'.s  Island 

19,  850 
5,550 

25,  400 

24,  600 
5,  5U0 

23,  250 

17,  750 
'1,950 

17,  150 
3,661 

1.%  £00 

Saint  George's  Island 

2,  834 

Total 

30, 100 

23,  250 

19,  700 

23, 228 

20,811 

.    18,034 

Taken  from — 

1831. 

1832. 

1833. 

1834. 

1835. 

1836. 

1837. 

Saint  Panl's  Island 

Saiut  George's  Island 

12,  950 
3,084 

13, 150 
3,296 

13, 200 
3, 212 

12,  700 
3,051 

4,  052 

2,  528 

4,040 
2,550 

4,  220 

2,  582 

Total 

16,  034 

16,  446 

16,  412 

15,  751 

6,580 

6,590 

6,  802 

*  Left  to  breed. 

Grand  total  for  S:iiiit  Paul's  Island 

Grand  total  for  Saint  George's  Island 


464,  2.59 
114,  065 


Total  catcli  during  nineteen  years  of  diminution 578,  924 


ALASKA. 


245 


Meteorological  abstract  for  the  months  from  September,  IH72,  to  April  IS72,  in- 
clusive, made  bi)  Chas.  r.  Fish.  Ciiited  Slates  Si!))ial-Sereice,at  the  office  of  the 
Chief  Si(itial-Officer,  United  States  Army,  division  of  reports  and  telegrams  for 
the  island  of  Saint  I'aul,  Berinfs  Sea,  for  the  benefit  of  commerce  and  a<jri~ 
Ml  I  tare. 


Month  of  record. 


Mean  of  t.iTonieter,  corrected 

Maxinimu  of  l]arou)eter,  corrected 

Miiiinimu  of  barometer,  corrected 

Monthly  range  of  baronietei',  corrected.. 

Oreate.st  daily  range  of  barometer,  cor- 
rected   

Least  daily  range  of  barometer,  corrected 

Mean  daily  range  of  barometer,  corrected 

Mean  of  e.xpo.sed  thermome.ter 

Ma.\innun  of  expo.sed  thermometer 

Miniiiiuin  ol  e.^posed  thermometer 

iSlouthly  range  of  exposed  thermometer. 

Greatest  .daily  range  of  exposed  ther- 
mometer   

Least  daily  range  of  exposed  thermom- 
eter   

Mean  of  maxima  of  exposed  thermom- 
eter  

Mean  of  minima  of  exposed  thermom- 
eter   

Mean  daily  range  of  exposed  thermom- 
eter   

Mean  relative  humidity 

]SIaxinuim  relative  humidity 

Minimum  relative  humidity 

Prevailing  wind 

Number  of  miles  traveled  by  wind 

Mean  daily  velocity  of  wind 

Mean  hourly  velocity  of  wind 

Maximum  hourly  velocit3-  of  wind 

Proportion  of  cloudiness. 

Amount  of  rainfall,  in  inches , 

Greatest  daily  amount  of  rain-fall , 

Amount  of  melted  hail  and  snow,  (in- 
cluded in  rain-tall) 

Number  of  days  on  which  precipitation 
occurred 

Number  of  days  on  which  hail  or  snow 

fell 


September. 


29.  773 
30.41; 

2S.)S7 
1.59 

.97 
.(03 
.25!) 
4'1'=.  2 

33= 
10= 

11= 

1= 

4C=.  8 

41°.  S 

5°.0 
85.  G 
100 
5G 

N. 
9,138 
304.6 
l-->.  7 
33 
92 
■2.89 
.85 


30 
4 


October. 


November,  i  December. 


29.  512 

30.04 

28.  51 

1.53 

.97 

.04 

.293 
30=.  0 
4,-p 
22= 
23= 

11  = 

1= 

3S=.  7 

33=.  3 

5=.  4 
83.9 

no 

N. 

11,  872 
,383 
10  • 
42 
84 
3.08 
.56 


.91 


29 
15 


29.  438 

30.23 

28.  02 

1.01 

.87 

.00 

.339 
340.3 
41= 
23= 
18= 

12= 

1'= 

3C=.2 

31=.  5 

4=.  7 
86.6 
100 
CO 

S. 
14,  539 
484.6 
20.2 
74 

78.9 
2.38 
.31 

.82 


17 


29.  488 

30.  04 
28.  05 

1.99 

.80 
.03 
.249 

26=.  0 

37= 
4= 

33= 

11= 
1= 


29=.  I 

24= 

5'=.! 
87.8 
100 
70 
N. 
10,fi44 
530.5 
22.1 
53 
84 

2.99 
.42 

2.33 

27 

24 


Month  of  record. 


January.      February.  '     March. 


^lean  of  barometer,  corrected 

ilaximuiu  of  barometer,  corrected 

Minimum  of  barometer,  corrected 

Monthly  range  of  barorjeter,  corrected.. 

Greatest  daily  range  of  barometer,  cor- 
rected   

Least  daily  range  of  barometer,  corrected . 

Mean  daily  range  of  barometer,  corrected. 

Mean  of  expo.sed  thermometer 

Maximum  of  exposed  thermometer 

Minimum  of  exposed  thermometer 

Monthly  range  of  exposed  thermometer  . 

Greatest  daily  range  of  exposed  ther- 
mometer   

Least  daily  range  of  exposed  thermom- 
eter   

Mean  of  maxima  of  exposed  thermom- 
eter   

Mean  of  minima  of  exposed  thermom- 
eter   

Mean  daily  range  of  exposed  thermom- 
eter   

Mean  relative  luimidity 


29.  953 

30.  .iO 
29.  32 

1.18 

.58 
.03 
.194 

15=.  7 

34= 
-11  = 

45= 


0= 

18=.  9 

11-.  9 

7=.0 
85.7 


29.  .i07 

30.51 

28.  26 

2. 25 

.95 
.06 
.421 

18=.  6 

34  = 
-12= 

40= 

28° 

3° 

22=.  6 

15=.  1 

7=  5 
80.2 


29.  768 

30.31 

29.  05 

1.20 

.66 
.05 
.219 

12=.  0 

35'= 
—  7= 

42= 

20= 

3= 
17M 

70.4 

90.7 

81.8 


April. 


29.  709 

30.  35 
29.  00 

1.35 

.73 
.03 

23'=r9' 
35= 
3= 
32° 

24  = 

3= 

27=.  9 

19=.  4 

8°.  5 
84.29 


24G 


ALASKA. 
Meieoroloc/ical  abstract,  ij-c. — Coutinnetl. 


Month  of  record. 


Maximnm  relative  hnmidity 

iliuimuni  relative  humidity 

Prevailing  wind 

Xumber  of  miles  traveled  bysvind 

Jilean  daily  velocity  of  wind 

jdean  hourly  velocity  of  wind 

Maximum  hourly  velocity  of  wind 

Proportion  of  cloudiness 

Amount  of  rain-fall,  in  inches 

Greatest  daily  amount  of  rain-fall 

Amount  of  melted  hail  and  suow,  (in- 
cluded in  rain-fall) 

Xumber  of  days  on  which  precipitation 
occurred  

Xuraber  of  days  on  which  hail  or  snow 
fell 


January. 

February. 

March. 

April. 

100 

100 

100 

100 

53 

49 

46 

63 

E.  X  E. 

N. 

jr. 

X. 

17,  903 

16,  646 

14,512 

18,  C07 

577.5 

594.3 

468.1 

620.2 

24.1 

24.8 

19.5 

2.^  84 

43 

82 

88 

53 

Pi  8 

74.9 

68 

73.6 

0.96 

5.78 

1.21 

1.77 

.39 

1.07 

.33 

.50 

.83 

4.87 

1.21 

1.77 

21 

27 

27 

20 

20 

25 

27 

26 

!N"OTE. — It  will  be  noticed  that  I  have  not  spelled  the  name  Behring  in  accordance  with 
the  usual  custom  observed  by  English  writers,  who  have  thus  given  the  phonetic  value  of 
the  Sclavonic  characters  used  by  the  Ewssians  in  writing  the  name  of  this  celebrated  navi- 
gator ;  but  hy  reference  to  the  following  statement  made  by  Professor  Gill,  of  the  Con. 
gressional  Library,  it  will  be  seen  that  the  name  in  f|uestiou  may  properly  be  spelled 
"Bering."  Professor  Gill  says  :  "  The  name  of  the  navigator  which  has  been  conferred  on 
the  strait  separating  America  and  Asia,  is  unquestionably  spelled  Beiuxg  and  not  Behrixg. 
I  submit,  in  explanation,  my  reasons  :  1st.  The  navigator  himself  was  born  in  Jutland,  and 
a  scion  of  a  Danish  family,  whose  members  bore  the  name  of  Bering,  and  two  represent- 
atives of  which  had  the  same  Christian  name,  viz,  (1)  Titus  Tiering,  born  1617,  died  1075, 
some  time  professor  of  poetry  at  Copenhagen,  and  (2)  Vitus  Bering,  born  1682,  died  1753,  a 
l>ri'est  of  Ollerup  and  Kirkeby.  The  form  Behring,  so  far  as  I  can  ascertain,  is  unknown 
in  Denmark,  (see  Nyerup's  Dansk-Norsk  Litteratur-lexicon,  v.  i,  pp.  56,  57, 1818.)  2d.  The 
form  Bering  is  almost  (but  not  quite)  universally  adopted  in  all  non-English  works ;  for 
example,  Biographic  Universelle,  (Michaud,)  v.  4,  p.  261,  1811,  also,  nouv.  ed.,  v.  4,  p.  28, 1854  ; 
Ifouvelle  Biographic  Gcnerale,  (Hoefer,)  v.  5,  p.  527,  1855 ;  Allgemeine  Encyclopadie  der 
"Wissenscbaften  und  Kiinste,  (Ersch  und  Gruber,)  v.  9,  p.  136,  ls22  ;  Xeues  Konversations- 
Lexicon,  (Meyers.)  v.  3,  p.  238,  1862;  Deutseh-Amerikanisches  Conversations-Lexicon, 
(Schem.)  v.  2,  p.  296,  1869,  and  numerous  others.  The  exceptional  cases,  e.  g.  Pierer's  TJni- 
ver.sal  Lexicon,  Grande  Dictionnaire  Universelle  du  six.  siecle,  &c.  In  English  dictionaries, 
the  true  form  Bering  is  adopted  in  the  Brief  Biographical  Dictionarj',  by  Holes,  1865,  and 
the  Dictionary  of  Biographical  Eeference,  by  Phillips,  1671,  and  is  gradually  superseding 
the  more  familiar  English  form.  An  explanation  of  the  reason  of  the  origin  of  the  name 
Behring  is  found  in  the  fact  that  it  was  originally  derived  from  the  Kussian,  without  a 
knowledge  of  its  primitive  source,  and  was  the  nearest  English  phonetic  expression  of  the 
Eus-sian  characters.  Inasmuch,  however,  (1)  as  the  original  form  of  a  name,  without  re- 
gard to  its  pronunciation,  is  universally  adopted  in  our  biographies  and  bibliographies,  and 
(2)  as  the  original  form  of  the  navigator's  name  was  Bering,  such  is  the  correct  one,  and 
that  which  must  ultimately  supersede  the  other.  It  need  only  be  added  that  Bering  him- 
self, and  the  Russians  universally,  (?)  adopt  that  form  when  writing  in  English  characters, 
and  that  the  Russian  letter  ('e')  in  his  name,  represented  by  'eh,'  is  especially  ordained  by 
the  Russians  to  be  rendered  by  the  Latin  character  '  e,'  in  accordance  with  the  pronuncia- 
tion of  the  Latin  and  continental  races  generallv." 


ALASKA.  247 

SKETCHES  OF  TEE  ALEUTIAN  ISLANDS. 

[Taken  from  Veuiamiuov,  Zapieska,  part  1,  p.  134.] 
ISLANDS  OF  THE  FOUR  3I0UNTAINS— "  CIIEETIERY  SOPOCHNIE." 

Kaygamilyak  is  the  longest ;  Las  a  number  of  smoking 
hills,  sometimes  burning.  On  the  southeast  side  of  the  island 
are  the  remains  of  what  once  must  have  been  large  settlements. 
On  these  islands  are  arries  {Lomvia  cirra)  and  a  tundra  goose, 
which  latter  comes  here  to  shed  feathers  and  rear  its  young,  and 
on  the  rocks  around  the  coast  are  sea-lions  and  hair-seals.* 

Taiinak  is  the  largest  of  the  group.  On  this  island  are  red 
foxes,  with  very  coarse  fur,  and  a  few  sea-fowl.  In  17G4,  100 
Aleuts  lived  here  or  hereabouts.  At  this  time  (1834)  the  men 
have  nearly  all  been  destroyed  by  the  hand  of  Stepan  Glottov, 
and  the  women  nearly  all  perished  of  hunger.  What  remains- 
of  the  Aleuts  is  on  the  island  of  Oomnak.  This  is  the  highest 
one  of  the  group  under  discussion.  Hot  springs  are  to  b& 
found  on  the  east  side,  and  on  the  southeast  side  are  the  ruius^ 
of  old  dwellings.  Sea-otters  are  found  about  this  place.  A 
small  island  lies  to  the  west;  it  is  round  and  full  of  bold  hills, 
steep.  On  the  southeast  side,  in  1834,  was  a  small  settlement, 
which  the  Aleuts  say  was  occupied  by  a  most  savage  and  war- 
like people.  They  were  destroyed  by  Glottov.  A  few  sea-lions 
are  found  here.  Near  this  is  another  small  island,  round  and 
full  of  high  hills.  There  are  remains  of  two  settlements  on  it ; 
signs  of  sea-otter ;  nooue  there,  now;  (1834;) sea-fowls, sea-lions, 
and  hair-seal. 

U^'ASKA  is  quite  large ;  high  hills,  elites,  &c.  On  the  east 
side  is  a  volcano,  which  began  in  1825  to  burn ;  no  hot  springs 
there ;  no  people  there,  though  the  relics  of  two  old  settlement* 
are  seen.  Birds  breed  on  the  cliffs ;  on  the  beach  sea-lions,  and, 
at  times,  sea-otters. 

AiioOTOYOX  is  another  small  island,  round,  bluffy,  and  moun- 

"Last  Sej)tember,  (1874,)  Captain  Hennig,  while  cruising  with  a  party 
of  sea-otter  hunters,  discovered  a  warm  cave  on  the  northeast  side  of  this 
island,  in  which  be  found  eleven  mummies  well  embalmed.  A  full  and 
interesting  history  of  the  matter  was  given  to  hira  by  the  natives,  but 
it  is  too  long  for  insertion  here.  Those  uuuumies  are  now  in  the  Smithsoniiiu 
Institution,  presented  by  the  Alaska  Commercial  Company.  These  bodies 
were  put  into  this  cave,  according  to  the  people,  in  1724  or  1725. — H.  W.  E. 


248  ALASKA. 

tainous — the  least  important  of  tbis  group  ;  no  bays,  no  streams, 
nothing  but  arries,  sea-lions,  and,  at  times,  sea-otters.  Be- 
tween this  island  and  Unaska  is  a  rock  where  a  great  manj^ 
sea-fowl  breed,  and  sea-lions. 

OoMXAK  is  the  largest  of  the  Aleutians.  It  has  three  high 
mountains;  is  very  hilly,  with  a  number  of  large  lakes  and 
streams.  In  1805  the  people  were  able  to  take  2,000  salmon 
every  year,  but  now  (183-4)  they  cannot  get  more  than  200  to 
400;  in  the  winter  from  50  to  100.  On  the  northeast  side  of 
the  island,  in  the  mountains,  is  a  lake,  on  the  blufiy  beaches 
of  whicli  amber  is  found.  Everything  grows  on  the  island 
that  is  peculiar  to  Oaualashka,  save  the  willow.  In  the  year 
some  50  black  foxes  are  killed,  80  cross,  and  about  40  red.  On 
the  north  shore  and  under  Tuleeskoi  Sopka  is  a  large  number 
of  sea-lions,  hair-seal,  and  sea-otters,  from  10  to  40  annually 
liilled.  In  older  times  the  Aleuts  used  to  get  porphyry  from 
the  north-northwest  side  of  Tuleeskoi  for  their  weapons.  There 
is  less  snow  here  than  on  Ounalashka.  A  great  many  hot  springs 
here ;  one  on  the  north  side  is  so  hot  that  meat  can  be  cooked 
in  it.     Under  most  of  these  springs  is  a  subterranean  noise. 

Before  the  coming  of  the  Eussians  on  Oomnak  there  were 
twenty  settlements,  some  of  them  quite  large,  like  the  one  at 
Tuleeskoi,  where  there  were  so  many  people  that  they  were  able 
to  take  at  one  time  all  the  meat  and  blubber  of  a  large  whale. 
At  the  present  time  (1834)  there  are  only  two  villages,  Raychesnoi 
and  Tuleeslcoi,  altogether  109  souls.  The  former  lies  on  the 
southwest  side  of  the  island,  and  a  wooden  church  was  built 
here  in  182G;  13  huts  and  3  bath-houses,  under  the  supervision 
of  Krukov,  a  creole,  were  built  in  1834 ;  38  males  and  45  females; 
they  had  plenty  of  hens  and  raised  at  times  potatoes ;  fish  quite 
scarce;  crabs  and  sea-urchins  abundant.  They  have  plenty  of 
poots,  but  at  times  are  without  oil,  and  cannot  then  cook  or  use 
the  roots,  and  they  frequently  go  a  year  without  getting  a 
whale.  In  the  winter  they  go  to  Samalga  and  kill  from  3  to  10 
sea-otters.  Tuleeskoi,  on  the  east  side,  in  1834,  had  11  men  and 
15  women.  In  1830  there  were  3  settlements  on  this  island,  on 
the  south  side,  and  on  the  island  Yeagorslde.  At  Samalga  in 
<»>'.den  times  (1794)  there  was  a  large  settlement,  400  souls,  but 
all  are  scattered  and  gone  now.  On  the  south  side  is  a  beach 
out  upon  which  sea-ofters  used  to  come  during  the  prevalence 
of  furious  gales  of  wind  from  that  quarter. 

BoGA  Slov  Island  made  its  appearance  first  in  179G,(May,) 


ALASKA.  240 

and  was  tiiiisbed  iu  1823;  is  oval-sbaped  ;  no  fresh  water;  sea- 
lions  breed  there. 

OUNALASHKA. — MalcoosMn  is  the  liighest  mountain  on  tiie 
ishmd  ;  5,475  feet;  volcano.  IS"o  one  remembers  of  its  having- 
disturbed  the  settlement  near  it.  In  1818  it  made  the  earth 
tremble  and  a  loud  noise,  but  nothing  more  ensued.  It  can  be 
ascended  in  August  and  September,  when  there  is  least  snow 
and  the  winds  do  not  blow  so  hard.  A  great  many  creeks  and 
streams  on  the  island,  running  down  from  the  high  hills  to  the 
sea;  many  pretty  water-falls.  There  are  twenty  streams  in  which 
fish  run  up  from  the  sea,  independent  of  the  trout  found  in  all  of 
them  ;  salmon,  salmon-trout,  "  keezoog,"  hump-backed  salmon, 
and  "  hie-eks/'  Lakes  on  the  island  are  nearly  as  numerous  as 
the  streams,  and  are  frequently  found  high  up  in  the  mountains; 
many  of  them  are  very  deep  ;  one  of  them  more  than  ten  versts 
iu  circumference,  and  in  this  one  no  bottom  was  found. 

Gulfs  and  bays  on  all  sides  of  this  island,  especially  on  the 
north  side,  and  more  good  ones  than  on  any  other  island  of  the 
whole  Aleutian  chain  ;  three  are  on  the  eastern  side,  Beaver, 
Captain\s,  and  MaJxOoshiii.  The  first  ship  entered  Captain's  Har- 
bor in  1709,  Captain  Layvashava.  xVt  Oobiennah  Bay  a  squad  of 
Aleuts  destroyed  a  Eussian  ship.  Matreskenskayah  Bay,  a  great 
place  for  hump-backed  salmon,  and  Paystrokovskie,  two  small 
bays  distinguished  by  the  coming  of  a  great  many  whales;  and 
from  these  bays  to  the  west,  about  eight  versts,  are  some  small 
lakes,  but  very  deep ;  all  these  bays  are  good  places  for  ships 
to  stand  at  anchor. 

In  Starry  Gnvan  the  first  Eussian  ship  entered  in  1701. 
Angliefikie  Bay  is  where  Captain  Cook  anchored.  Chernovskie 
is  the  finest  harbor  on  the  island,  in  the  straits  between  Oom- 
nak,  and  a  dozen  others,  but  of  less  importance.  Kahleeta 
Point  received  its  name  because  iu  a  little  bay  under  it  a  great 
many  whales  used  to  resort;  this  point  is  the  land-mark  for  the 
harbor  of  Ounalashka.  Cheerful  or  Jolly  Point,  so  called  by  the 
sailors  who  usually  make  it  in  a  fog.  It  is  made  up  of  some 
thirty  difit'erently  colored  strata  or  layers,  horizontal,  distin- 
guishing it  from  all  other  capes  or  points  ;  from  its  very  summit 
down  to  the  water's  edge,  on  one  side,  is  a  vivid  green  slope. 

At  Morkrovskie  Point,  to  the  southward  iu  the  hills,  are  the 
remains  of  a  fossil  elephant,  and  a  little  farther,  trending  from 
the  southeast  to  the  northwest,  behold  an  elephant  of  the  true 
kind,  lying  quite  horizontally,  over  14  feet  wide,  and  about  10 


250  ALASKA. 

above  the  water.  At  AspeetsTiie  Point  tlie  Russians  found  a 
stone  slate  which  belonged  to  one  of  the  first  chiefs.  The  Rus- 
sians also  called  the  people  living  near  this  place  ^^ Aspect.''^ 

The  points  on  the  southern  side  of  Ounalashka  are  not  well 
known  ;  they  are  not  safe  to  approach,  on  account  of  reefs  and 
submerged  rocks,  which  extend  out  to  sea  a  long  way,  and  the 
water  breaks  very  heavily  on  them  and  on  the  cliffs. 

Vegetation  on  Ounalashka  is  found  everywhere,  except  on  the 
summits  of  the  highest  mountains  and  the  faces  of  steep  cliffs. 
On  the  east  side  of  the  island,  in  Captain's  Bay  and  part  of 
Beaver  Baj',  the  small  willow  grows  best,  berries,  mushrooms, 
&c. 

Animals. — Foxes,  mice,  (brought  by  the  Russians,)  cows,  and 
rats;  the  latter  came  only  in  1828,  brought  in  the  ship  "Fin- 
land," and  in  less  than  two  years  they  increased  so  that  they 
got  over  to  Mal:ooshin  settlement,  a  distance  of  over  fifty 
versts,  in  spite  of  high,  snowy  ridges  and  high  streams  between, 
and  attacks  by  foxes.  The  foxes  on  this  island  yield  to  the 
hunters  about  oOO  annually ;  of  these  100  are  black,  250  cross, 
and  150  red.  Of  the  water-animals,  in  early  times  there  were 
great  numbers  of  hair-seal,  fur-seal,  sea  otter,  and  sea-lions, 
but  nowadays  they  come  in  such  small  numbers  that  from 
them  all  hardly  more  than  a  hundred  skins  are  taken  per 
annum.  Sea-otters  are  found  only  on  the  southern  side  near 
the  beach,  and  in  very  small  numbers,  as  they  come  from  the 
sea ;  sea-lions  in  less  number  and  only  in  one  place,  on  the 
southern  side,  not  far  from  Omfs'kie  Bay,  on  a  rock  separated 
from  the  beach  by  a  narrow  canal.  Fur-seals  used  to  come 
into  the  bays  here  until  the  discovery  of  the  Prybilov  Islands, 
and  since  then  hardly  a  single  one. 

The  island  was  not  known  earlier  than  17G0.  In  17G2  the 
Russians,  who  first  discovered  this  place,  were  unhappily  nearly 
exterminated,  and  in  revenge  for  this  the  natives  were  nearly 
all  destroyed  in  1763  by  Solovayiat,  and  the  rest  in  the  follow- 
ing year. 

There  are  only  two  hot  springs  on  the  island ;  one  on  the 
point  near  Makooshin  settlement  has  a  little  run  of  water  and 
is  not  very  hot;  the  other  near  a  small  lake  back  from  Indian 
Bay,  five  versts  from  Illoulook,  has  a  temperature  of  about 
570  to  60°. 

From  a  lake  known  to  and  spoken  of  by  the  Aleuts,  near 
MaJcrovslcoi  Gulf,  high  up  in  the  mountains,  under  the  cliffs  on 


ALASKA.  251 

the  easteru  beacb,  is  tbiuid  the  finest  amhcr  ;  hair-seals  go  up 
into  the  hike. 

Near  Malcooshiii  Gulf,  between  a  long  tufa  or  breccia  place 
or  edge  and  Tarahsovshoijan  Bay,  in  the  mountains,  is  a  lake  on 
the  beach  of  which  is  found  native  copper ;  and  above  this,  in 
the  mountains  of  the  third  range,  also,  is  a  lake,  on  the  beach 
of  which  is  found  hollow  stones  which  rattle  when  shaken,  and 
in  the  cleft  of  a  cliff  or  cave  is  seen  the  gleam  of  light,  like 
water.  On  the  south  side  of  the  island,  near  Oinnomaden  Bay, 
are  two  lakes  also  in  the  mountains,  in  one  of  which  hair-seals 
go,  and  on  the  beach  under  the  cliffs  are  found  shining  stones. 
In  the  mountains  near  Captain's  Harbor  is  a  lake  on  the  beach 
of  which  ^^  hite  pearls  were  reported  found,  but  in  1812  men 
were  sent,  in  August,  to  look  for  them  and  found  only  ice. 

In  Beaver  Bay,  on  the  left  side,  near  Agamycclc  Bay,  is  a  water- 
fall tumbling  down  from  high  cliffs,  the  water  of  which  the 
Aleuts  dare  not  drink  for  fear  of  death,  and  near  this  place 
stands  a  stone  which  is  honored  as  a  petrified  devil. 

There  is  a  stream  under  Makooshiu  Mountain,  on  the  north 
side,  by  the  banks  of  which  are  iron  bogs,  and  above  tliem  it  is 
said  native  copper  is  found;  back  from  Makooshin  Gulf,  in  the 
mountains  of  the  third  range,  mica  ("slnda")  is  found. 

Before  the  Eussiaus  came,  in  17G2,  there  were  on  this  island 
twenty-four  settlements,  and  altogether  a  great  many  people. 
Even  as  late  as  1805,  there  were  fifteen  counted  settlements, 
and  in  them  800  souls;  but  at  present  (1834)  there  are  only  ten, 
and  in  them  only  470 ;  and  sill  of  them  placed,  with  one  excep- 
tion, on  the  west  and  northwest  shores. 

lllou-looli  is  the  head  settlement.  Solovayiah  is  said  to 
have  lived  here.  Built  here  (1834)  is  a  wooden  church,  with 
bells;  five  houses,  three  magazines  or  warehouses;  five  "bar- 
rabkies,''  or  huts,  and  one  barn— all  the  property  of  the  com- 
pany. The  head  office  for  the  whole  Aleutian  district  is  here, 
nnder  a  chief  trader  and  three  store-keepers.  Twenty-seven 
yourts,  or  huts,  belong  to  the  Creoles  and  Aleuts,  275  souls  in 
number.  (Male  Aleuts,  90 ;  females,  100 ;  over  them  Russians 
and  Creoles,  75.)  Here,  with  the  exception  of  the  Baissian 
American  Company's  office  at  Sitka,  was  the  first  school.  It 
was  opened  the  12th  March,  1835  ;  started  in  1834  by  22  males, 
Creoles  and  Aleuts.  In  this  school  no  more  than  twelve  boys 
could  be  brought  together  in  1835.  There  was  a  hospital  with 
eight  sick  men  attended  by  a  surgeon,  and  a  home  for  orphan 


252  ALASKA. 

girls,  with  twelve  of  them  in  it.  Some  of  the  compauy's  serv- 
ants raised  pigs,  chickens,  and  ducks,  and  nearly  all  the  house- 
keepers had  a  garden,  where  they  raised  turnips  and  potatoes. 
{In  1838,  one  hundred  and  twenty  kegs  were  raised  by  the 
whole  settlement.)  The  ground  for  the  first  church  was  pre- 
I)ared  in  1825;  church  built  in  182G;  provided  with  bells,  and 
pictures  in  gilt  frames ;  built  by  the  Aleuts. 

The  profits  of  this  country,  or  settlement,  in  especial:  from 
ten  to  forty  fur-seals  are  taken  every  year  as  they  come  down 
from  the  north  ;  the  yield  from  the  fish  is  uot  important;  the 
river  which  comes  down  from  the  mountains  in  Natil-ensloi 
Baij  is  the  best  place,  and  sometimes  the  dog-salmon  are  there 
in  such  numbers  that  it  is  difficult  to  get  through  the  water. 
It  is  said  that  the  river  which  is  by  this  settlement  used  to  be 
the  best  for  fish;  it  is  now  spoiled. 

Cod-fish  are  caught  a  long  way  out,  as  far  as  twenty  to  eighty 
"sajeus,"*  and  in  late  years  in  small  numbers.  A  willow  grows 
near  the  settlement,  quite  large,  and,  though  the  company 
have  annually  repaired  and  built  with  it  some  sixty  baidars 
and  over  one  hundred  and  twenty  boxes,  it  is  still  abundant. 
For  cattle  this  place  is  uot  very  profitable,  because,  around  this 
settlement,  though  grass  grows  earlier  than  elsewhere  in  the 
district,  snow  falls  and  lies  from  five  to  seven  months,  and  the 
mowing  has  to  be  done  in  bad  or  hard  places,  and,  on  account 
of  the  rare  occurrence  of  sunlight  and  the  frequency  of  rains, 
hay-making  is  exceedingly  difficult.  Potatoes  and  turnips  do 
uot  thrive  in  a  noteworthy  manner. 

Ii^atielcoiislcoi  settlement  lies  on  the  west  side  of  Captain's 
Harbor.     It  has  two  yourts  and  15  souls,  (G  males,  9  females.) 

Faistralilovslde  is  on  the  left  side  of  Captain's  Harbor  ;  five 
yourts;  37  souls,  (IG  males,  21  females.)  The  mountain  above 
it  has  a  bowl-shaped  crater,  and  in  it  is  a  lake. 

Vaysai/locslde  lies  on  the  left  side  of  the  point  of  the  same 
name;  15  souls,  (7  males,  8  women.) 

Mal-oosJicnskoi  lies  on  the  north  side  of  Makooshin  Gulf; 
built  here,  a  yourt,  barrabkie,  store-house,  and  bath-house 
belonging  to  the  company,  and  a  trader  stationed  here.  The 
Aleuts  possess  six  yourts  and  six  barrabkies;  35  souls,  (15 
males,  20  females.)  Not  fixr  from  the  settlement,  back  from  the 
mountains  near  the  sea,  pumice-stone  is  found.  There  were 
five  settlements  near  this  place  in  ancient  times,  excepting 


■Sajeu,"  equivalent  to  .seven  feet. 


ALASKA.  253 

Starrie-cJiovs'kaho,  which  existed  up  to  1805.    They  get  from  80 
to  150  foxes  here,  with  varjiug  grades  of  fur. 

Koshcgensl-oi  lies  inside  of  Koshegeuskaho  Gulf,  on  the  left 
side,  on  a  very  even  place,  near  the  debouchure  of  a  stream. 
The  company  has  erected  here  a  yourt,  store-house,  bath-house, 
and  a  barn  belonging  to  it,  which  has  a  trader  here,  who  attends 
to  the  business  of  all  the  southern  part  of  the  island.  The 
Aleuts  have  eight  yourts,  and  are  41  souls  in  number,  (18  men^ 
23  women.)  There  are  not  many  fish  here  •,  in  the  best  days 
of  salmon-running  not  over  300.  Sometimes  sea-lions  lie  on 
the  south  side.  A  small  number  of  hair-seals  are  killed  on  the 
rocks.  Eoots  in  abundance.  In  1833  the  company  introduced 
cattle  here. 

Chernovslde,  on  the  northwest  side  of  the  island,  has  four 
yourts  and  44  souls,  (20  males,  24  females.)  The  harbor  is 
elegant,  but  not  always  without  danger  to  sailing-vessels  ;  for, 
if  caught  outside  in  the  straits,  without  wind,  they  may  be 
carried  against  the  cliffs  of  Oomnak  Straits. 

On  the  south  side  of  Chernovskie  stands  a  citadel,  and  to  the 
north,  a  distance  of  20  versts,  near  an  old  settlement,  was- 
found  a  copper  chain,  four  links.  This  settlement  is  the  poorest 
on  the  island.  The  principal  subsistence  is  mussels.  There  is 
only  one  fish-stream,  and  that  falls  near  the  settlement. 

Umagensloi  is  in  Captain's  Harbor,  8  versts  northeast  from 
Illoulook,  on  a  little  bay  of  the  same  name ;  32  souls  (15  males,. 
17  females)  live  here  in  four  yourts. 

KaMccMcnsl-oL—Thvee  yourts;  14  souls.  A  small  stream 
here,  where  a  great  many  fisb  are  taken.  Sometimes  more  than 
2,000  salmon  are  secured.  The  natives  frequently  get  whales 
here. 

Bohrovslde.— Forty-one  souls,  (21  males,  20  females,)  four 
yourts,  and  a  few  gardens;  they  get  a  small  number  of  salmon- 
trout  and  dog-salmon  in  three  small  streams. 

Borl-a  or  Spirlcln  lies  on  the  south  side  of  the  island,  dividpd 
from  the  mainland  by  a  wide  strait.  This  island  stands  out 
bold  and  abrupt,  high  from  the  sea.  On  the  north  shore  are  a 
few  small  bays;  above  one  of  them  is  the  settlement,  of  six 
yourts,  44  souls,  (17  males,  27  females.)  They  have  a  few  gar- 
dens.  Principal  subsistence,  sea-fish  and  mussels.  On  this 
island  is  found  a  green  stone,  irony,  or  blackish,  shiny  red, 
which  the  Aleuts  require  in  painting  their  ^'Jcamlaykas.''* 

*  Skiu  shirts. 


254  ALASKA. 

On  Amak^'AK  Island  were  three  settlements  before  the  com- 
ing of  the  liussiaus  in  1702,  but  now  there  are  none  ;  hogs  run 
from  April  to  October ;  on  the  little  island  to  the  west,  Ooliia- 
dale,  was  a  small  settlement. 

TheKRAMEETSA  Islands  are  seven  in  number,  lyingbetween 
Ouualashka  andOonemak,  viz:  Oonalga,  Alcooian,  Alwon,  Goloi, 
Avatanak,  Tecr/alda,  and  Oogomal:.  Akootan  is  the  largest  and 
most  mountainous  ;  the  smallest  and  lowest  is  Oonalga,  and  all 
of  them  have  inhabitants  save  Goloi  and  Oogomak;  all  have 
foxes  save  Goloi ;  the  catch  is  from  180  to  2.j0  yearly. 

Oonalga  has  a  small  lake  and  three  small  streams,  into  which 
only  salmon-tront  run.  The  berries  are  "  sheksa,"  {Empetrum 
nigrum,)  salmon-berry,  and  "nioroshkie,"  {litibus  chamcemoriis.) 
Snow  does  not  lie  long  here.  The  settlement  is  ou  the  south 
side,  on  the  clifts ;  3  yourts,  23  souls,  (10  males,  13  females.)  The 
little,  bold  rocky  islands  to  the  northeast  of  Oonalga  are  fre- 
quented by  hair-seals  ;  on  only  one  of  them  is  a  spring  of  water. 
Ships  can  go  all  around  these  islands  without  danger:  they  are 
free  from  rocks  or  shoals. 

Akootan,  a  rough,  rocky  island,  with  a  high  volcano  near  the 
middle ;  the  beaches  are  few  and  far  between,  and  but  little  land 
fit  for  vegetation.  Two  lakes  on  it,  with  five  streams;  one  bay 
on  the  south  side;  a  few  fish  come  into  the  streams.  Berries 
of  all  kinds  grow  here,  peculiar  to  this  country ;  (from  40  to  CO 
foxes  are  killed  here  every  year,  the  greater  number  red.)  On 
the  northeast  side,  in  a  small  bay,  are  hot  springs,  coming  from 
the  mountains,  with  so  high  a  temperature,  that  meat  and  fish 
can  be  cooked  in  them.  On  the  very  summit  of  the  volcano  are 
found  small,  but  deep,  lakes,  and  the  place  where  the  volcano 
breaks  out  strongly  resembles  the  spout-hole  of  a  huge  whale, 
the  ridge  of  the  mountain  resembling  the  back  and  head  of  this 
animal. 

In  old  times  there  were  7  settlements,  with  COO  people ;  in 
1810  there  was  but  one,  and  in  the  present  time  (1831)  but  one, 
and  this  is  on  the  north  side,  where  a  small  stream  runs  down, 
surrounded  by  high  and  rugged  mountains.  This  is  the  small- 
est settlement  iu  this  district,  13  souls,  living  on  fish,  which 
come  into  the  streams  and  along  the  beach. 

Akoon  lies  near  Akootan ;  it  is  smaller,  and  the  mountains 
not  so  high  ;  one  mountain,  on  the  south  side,  always  smokes, 
but  the  smoke  is  never  noteworthy.  The  beach  is  mostly  blufifs, 
rugged.      The  berries  "moroshkie"  and   "  zemlianeeka"  are 


ALASKA.  255 

found.  Plenty  of  lakes,  four  large  ones  and  five  streams,  into 
two  of  which  fisli  run  in  small  numbers.  From  SO  to  120  foxes 
are  annually'  killed.  In  1830  the  people  here  cai)turcd  two 
wolves ;  they  must  have  been  of  only  one  sex,  or  they  would 
have  increased  ;  these  animals  are  very  disagreeable,  for  they 
kill  the  foxes  and  spoil  the  traps.  There  were,  long  ago,  eight 
settlements  on  this  island,  with  more  than  500  people,  but  now 
(1834)  there  are  only  three,  with  85  souls,  viz :  Artelnoval^ie, 
southwest  side  of  the  island,  on  a  high  bluff,  with  two  yourts, 
two  barrabkies,  and  a  bath-house,  and  a  trader  belonging  to  the 
company  ;  the  Aleuts  have  seven  yourts,  32  souls,  (10  males,  10 
females.)  The  trader  and  a  few  Aleuts  have  a  small  garden. 
They  sometimes  capture  a  whale.  Eaycliesnoi  is  on  the  north 
side,  near  a  stream ;  five  yourts  built  here  and  a  few  barrabkies, 
37  souls,  (19  males,  18  females.)  Seeraidensloi  is  inside  of  a 
bay  of  that  name,  looking  out  on  Avatauak;  two  yourts  and 
IG  souls.  The  people  in  both  of  these  settlements  live  by  the 
beach,  depending  upon  it  and  a  few  hair-seals  that  may  come 
around. 

AvATANAK  IsLA^'D  has  ouits  Southeast  side  a  hot  spring,  only 
open  to  view  at  low  water.  This  is  the  only  island  where  the 
Aleuts  find  red  chalk.  Above  this  island,  near  Akootau,  are 
two  remarkable  rocks,  "  Ooshenadskie."  On  them  in  early  times 
sea-lions  were  found,  and  one  of  them  from  all  sides  resembles 
a  bell.  This  island  lies  between  Goloi  and  Teegalda.  From 
two  lakes  rises  quite  a  stream  on  the  north  side,  and  which  in 
old  times  was  a  great  fish-place,  and  since  the  extermination  of 
the  Aleuts  there  by  Salovayiah's  comrade,  Natoorbin,  not  a 
fish  has  come  since.  On  the  south  side  of  the  island  sea-otters 
come,  and  on  the  island  foxes  of  different  colors,  of  which 
twenty  to  thirty  are  taken  per  annum.  In  early  times  three, 
not  large  settlements,  were  here ;  now  there  is  but  one,  on  the 
north  side,  and  consists  of  five  excellent  yourts,  and  distin- 
guished by  their  being  all  clean  and  free  from  blackness ;  49 
souls,  (24  males  and  25  females.)  Vegetation  here  is  not  good. 
When  during  my  last  visit  to  this  place,  in  1833, 1  saw  the  signs 
or  ruins  of  the  j'ourt  where  Salovayiah  and  Xatoorbin  lived, 
and  a  woman  was  living  then  who  had  been  a  witness  to  their 
cruelty.  A  small  island  lies  near  Avatanak  which  a  few  hair- 
seal  repair  to,  and  on  the  east  side  of  it  is  found  red  chalk. 

Teegalda  lies  east  of  xVvatanak.  It  is  next  in  size  to  Akoo- 
tau.   There  are  3  lakes  here  from  300  to  1,000  sajens  around, 


256  ALASKA. 

and  a  small  stream  flows,  from  wliicli  about  1,000  fish  are  taken. 
All  berries  are  found  here  except  the  huckleberry.  From  50  to 
70  foxes  are  killed  here  every  year.  The  greatest  number  of 
them  are  black  and  black-haired.  In  the  autumn  and  winter  are 
plenty  of  ''  beach-geese,"  and  in  the  spring  "  toondra  geese." 
On  the  southwest  side  of  this  island  is  found  stone-coal,  and  in 
the  lake  near  the  settlement  is  a  red  or  golden  ocher.  In  ancient 
times  there  were  five  settlements,  in  them  over  500  people,  but 
now  there  is  only  one,  which  lies  on  the  north  side,  with  a  pop- 
ulation of  92  souls,  (39  males,  53  females.)  They  have  a  fine 
"  kozarmie,"  (barrack,)  well  built  and  always  kept  clean  ;  five 
yourts,  a  bath-house,  and  a  few  barrabkies.  The  number  given 
above  of  these  people  includes  those  who  were  brought  over 
from  Oogamak  in  182G.  In  this  place  are  the  ruins  of  an  old 
yourt,  30  sajens  (210  feet)  long.  Opposite  the  town,  on  the 
north  side  of  the  island,  near  Oogamak,  is  a  number  of  steep, 
high  rocks  (28)  or  islets.  On  them  the  big  burgomaster-guli 
breeds,  and  over  500  eggs  are  taken  every  year.  On  them  are 
three  green  j)laces  only,  and  on  many  of  these  islands  lie  hair- 
seals,  acd  on  one  of  the  northern  ones  are  sea-lions.  This  is  the 
chief  supplying  place  for  all  these  people  here  for  winter-food. 
On  them  are  no  lakes  or  streams.  On  the  north  side  is  a  green- 
ish red  used  by  the  Aleuts  for  painting  their  hats. 

Oogamak.^ — No  water  save  a  small  spring  ;  a  small  number 
of  foxes  (7)  killed  annually.  On  the  island  comes  a  larger  num- 
ber of  hair-seals  than  are  found  on  all  the  others.  On  the  cliffs, 
sea-parrots  breed,  and  over  500  are  annually  shot ;  on  the 
low  rocks  sea-lions  previously  came  in  considerable  numbers, 
one  of  which  traveled  over  and  back  from  the  south  to  the 
north  side  of  the  island  ;  a  good  many  stay  all  winter.  In  early 
times  on  the  island  there  were  many  people,  but  they  have  been 
growing  less  and  less,  so  that  now  there  are  only  18. 

00NE3IAK. — This  island  was  in  old  times  the  most  densely 
populated  of  all  these  islands ;  there  were  12  settlements.  In 
1831  the  ruins  of  a  "  koznrmie"  or  barracks  exhibited  a  length 
of  over  GOO  sajens,  (4,200  feet.)  and  yourts  were  from  12  to  30, 
and  even  50  sajens.  At  the  jiresent  time  (1834)  only  one  set- 
tlement, Sheshaldimlcie,  with  7 L  souls,  (30  males,  41  females,)  who 
are  poorest  of  all  the  Aleuts.  They  have  but  2  yourts  and  4 
bidarkies,  and  the  company  has  a  trader  here  and  two  work- 
men; theyhaveayourt,abarrabkie,  and  "banio," (or bath-house.) 

Animals. — Mice  or  lemmings,  minks,  Parry's  marmot,  rabbits^ 


ALASKA.  257 

wolves,  bears,  deer,  land-otter,  and  red  foxes,  bair-?eals  on  all 
sides;  sea-lions  in  small  uumbers  ;  on  the  south  and  northwesfc 
sides,  where  there  are  some  lagoons,  walrus  are  sometimes 
found ;  on  the  beaches  of  this  island  sea-otters  came  twice, 
lirst  on  the  north  beach,  and  second  on  the  west.  About  the 
north  shore  is  a  considerable  number  of  whales.  From  80  to  150 
foxes  were  killed  per  annum,  1  to  3  wolves,  and  a  few  minks 
and  land-otters  constitute  the  real  hunting.  Bears  are  plenty, 
but  they  are  coarse  and  mostly  red,  (cinnamon.)  The  most 
valuable  thing  is  the  whalebone ;  but  little,  however,  of  this 
is  found. 


KOIES   UPON   THE   ANIMALS    OF   THE   ALEUTIAN  ISLANDS. 
[Translated  from  Veniaminov's  Zapieska,  1840.] 

(Part  1,  chap,  xii,  p.  GS.)  "  The  numbers  of  several  kinds  of 
animals  are  growing  very  much  less  in  the  present  as  compared 
with  past  time.  For  instance,  the  company  here  (Ounalashka) 
regularly  killed  more  than  a  thousand  sea-otters,  (annually ;) 
now  (1840)  from  70  to  150,  (in  1832-1833  there  were  175  to 
200,  and  a  long  time  previous  to  this  such  a  number  was  not 
obtained ;)  and  there  was  a  time  (1820)  when  the  whole  returns 
from  the  hunters  of  this  Ounalashkan  district  were  only  15 
skins."  "  The  company  on  the  island  of  Saint  Paul  killed  from 
00,000  to  80,000  fur-seals  per  annum,  and  in  the  last  season, 
(1836,)  with  all  possible  care  in  getting,  they  obtanied  only 
about  1,200.  On  the  island  of  Saint  George,  instead  of  40,000 
or  35,000,  only  33,000  (1,300?)  were  killed." 

(Part  3,  p.  529.)  "  The  kind  of  deer  here  I  have  had  a  glimpse 
at,  and  I  know  that  the  large  males  do  not  weigh  more  than 
three  poods,  *  (108  pounds.)  They  go  to  several  islands  of  the 
Shumagin  group,  Oonemak,  and  all  over  the  peninsula, 
(Alaska.) 

^'Bear. — .Here  all  have  patched  and  harsh  fur,  and  are  found  on 
Oonemak  and  the  peninsula  :  they  are  also  very  quiet  and  sel- 
dom go  for  man.  The  hunters  are  only  afraid  of  those  which 
hiwe  torn  c<(rs.  They  eat  meat,  fish,  and  roots.  At  the  time  of 
salmon  running  in  the  rivers,bears  generally  go  there  and  capture 
fish.  The  bears  go  into  the  water  above  their  knees,  stand  up 
opposite  the  stream,  and  watch  a  fitopi)ortunity  when  they  can 

*  This  is  au  error  obviously;  they  will  weigh  from  21G  to  324  pounds. — H. 
W.  E. 

17   AL 


258  ALASKA. 

grab  cr  snatch  tLe  tlsb,  \vbicb,  wLeii  they  see  it  uear,  they  in- 
stantly strike  at  it  with  their  paws  and  most  always  hit;  then 
they  either  throw  or  carry  their  prey  to  the  beach  and  return 
to  continue  their  work  until  they  have  as  many  as  they  want. 
AYith  the  last  fish  they  go  to  the  bank  and  begin  to  eat.  After 
killing  the  fishes  the  bears  eat  only  the  heads,  because  this  is 
the  fattest  part. 

"  Bears  in  the  winter  sleep  in  dens,  auj'where  under  cliffs,  in 
holes,  or  caves;  but  I  have  heard  that  they  have  been  some- 
times seeu  walking  about  in  the  winter. 

"  Foxes  may  be  divided  into  hlaclcy  cross,  and  red,  the  greater 
part  red.  They  are  caught  in  two  ways,  /.  e.,  guns  and  traps; 
the  latter  is  the  best  method,  and  by  it  the  most  are  secured. 
Hunting  season  is  in  the  fall  and  winter,  when  they  are  in  new 
and  full  fur.  Trapping  season  begins  about  5th  October  and 
continues  as  long  as  the  snow  lasts. 

"  Blue  foxes  are  confined  to  the  Prybilov  Islands,  on  Saint 
George  especially,  where  they  annually  kill  about  1,500.  It  is 
said  that  when  these  islands  were  first  discovered  there  was 
naught  but  blue  foxes  there,  of  most  excellent  quality  :  but  a 
few  winters  afterward  came  white  foxes,  which  breed  very 
rapidly,  and  in  a  great  measure  spoiled  the  fur ;  that  now  the 
fur  which  once  was  called  hlne  is  called  smol:y. 

"iSeao^^ers  are  distinguished  above  everything  on  account  of 
their  great  value  and  small  numbers.  There  was  a  time  when 
they  were  killed  in  thousands,  now  only  by  hundreds.  There 
are  plenty  of  places  where  before  there  were  great  numbers  of 
.sea-otters  ;  now  not  one  is  to  be  seen  or  found.  The  reason  for 
this  is  most  evident :  every  year  hunted  without  rest,  they  have 
fled  to  places  unknown  and  without  danger. 

"  Land-otters  are  found  only  on  the  Shumagins,  Oonemak,  and 
the  peninsula  in  this  Aleutian  district.  They  do  not  live  in 
the  sea,  but  are  found  in  the  lakes  and  go  close  to  the  sea ; 
they  have  longer  feet  or  limbs,  and  can  run  on  hind  better  than 
any  of  the  other  animals  (amphibious)  cf  their  class.  Of  the 
number  taken  in  this  district  there  is  no  true  record,  but  in  the 
best  years  they  do  not  get  over  100.  They  are  hunted,  like 
foxes,  with  guns  and  traps,  but  they  are  very  strong  and  full  of 
life." 


ALASKA. 


259 


india:n  taeiff. 

The  following  table  shows  the  prices  paid  by  the  Russian- 
Americau  Company  in  the  Alaskan  Territory,  where  it  had  no 
competition.  (The  quotations  are  in  paper  rables=:to  20  cents 
each,  (100  kopecks  make  a  ruble;)  a  silver 'ruble  is  equal  to 
about  75  cents.) 


I 


Seaotter,  piinio 

line  year  old 

six  lUdiiths  old 

Tur-seals,  five  to  tlnee  years. 

two  to  one  year 

Martens,  very  best 

Beavers,  best 

Land-otter,  best 

Bears,  big  black 

L>  nx 

Mink,  best 


Foxes,  extra  black  . 

blue 

silver,  extra 
red,  extra 

Wolves,  extra 

"Wolverines,  extra.. 


1804. 


H.  kop. 

10  00 

4  00 

0  GO 

0  SO 

0  20 

0  20 

1  20 

1  CO 

2  00 
0  (^0 
0  20 


0  20 

1  00 

0  75 

1  00 
0  60 


182 


li.  kop. 

20  ( 0 

10  00 

2  00 

0  50 

0  40 

0  f.O 

2  50 

3  2:) 

4  CO 
3  00 
0  30 


1  00 

3  00 

1  50 

1  00 

2  00 


1836. 


1850. 


R.  kop. 

30  CO 

15  00 

3  00 
0  75 
0  50 
0  50 

4  00 
4  CO 
4  00 
3  00 
0  25 

9  00 


CO 
00 
00 


2  00 
2  00 


I?,  kop. 

r>o    00 

25  00 

3  00 

0  75 

0  50 


6  00 

5  00 

5  00 

0  50 

10  00 

0  50 

3  00 

3  00 
'J  00 

4  00 


Now  (1874)  the  natives 
receive — 


140  oaeh. 

i^lO  eaeh. 

S2.,")0  each. 

40  cents  to  |3  each. 

Do. 
From  .*1.50  to  S3  each. 
From  50  cents  to  —  each. 
From  $i  to  82.50  each. 
From  $:i  to  §5  each. 
From  61  to  .$2.50  each. 
From  50  cents  to  $1  50 

each. 
From  .$40  to  §100  each. 
40  cents  each. 
From  $3  to  SIO  each. 
From  $1  to  §I..50  each. 
From  §2  to  §5  each. 
Do. 


Where  this  company  had  competition,  however,  the  prices 
ranged  quite  high,  to  wit :  At  Sitka,  for  sea-otter,  140  to  150 
silver  rubles ;  beaver,  from  2  to  18  rubles ;  laud-otters,  2  to 
18 ;  mainland-foxes,  black,  2  to  3G  rubles ;  silver  foxes,  3  to 
18;  red,  2  rubles  to  50  kopecks;  martens,  50  kopecks  to  3 
rubles ;  lynx,  from  3  to  9  rubles  ;  bears,  1  to  18  rubles ;  wolver- 
ines, 2i  to  18  rubles ;  (these  quotations  are  all  in  silver  rubles.) 

The  value  of  staple  furs  of  Alaska  iu  the  Chinese  market 
during  1799  was — 

Sea-otter,  prime,  875  to  8100  each. 

Fur-seal,  prime,  $3.50  to  $3.75  each. 

This  is  interesting,  as  the  value  of  a  dollar  has  not  changed 
since  that  time  in  that  country,  and  sea  otter  sells  to- day  at 
about  the  same  rate  as  given. 

Few  fur-seals  are  sold  in  this  market  now,  but  the  great  bulk 
of  the  sea-otter  catch  of  the  Kuriles  goes  into  China.  They  do 
not  possess  the  art  of  dressing  the  former  well,  and  were  in  the 
habit  of  wearing  them  simply  tanned.     The  Chinese  for  all  uu- 


2G0 


ALASKA. 


dressed  furs,  like  marten,  beaver,  &c.,  offer  oue  of  the  best 
cash  markets  in  the  world ;  indeed,  all  the  early  trade  of  Alaska 
went  into  China,  both  from  Eussian,  French,  and  English 
traders. 

The  following  table  shows  the  number  of  sea-otters  and  fur- 
seals  secured  off  the  coasts  of  California  and  Oregon  by  the 
Eussians  during  Ihe  period  of  their  occupation  of  Eoss,  or 
Bodega,  in  California,  from  1824  to  1834  inclusive : 


1824. 

1825. 

1826. 

1827. 

1828. 

1829. 

1830. 

1831. 

1832. 

1833. 

1834; 

Sea-otters 

475 

500 

287 

i:i 

290 

9 
3 

1 

"sio" 

18 

5 

287 

12 
4 

112 

1 

187 
34 
54 

5220 

35 

!Fur-seals   

1,050 

455 

205 

118 

During  the  last  forty  years  there  have  been  no  sea-otters  to 
speak  of  taken  on  the  Californian  coast ;  and  in  1835  the  last 
fur-seals,  fifty-four  in  number,  were  taken  on  the  Farallones,  two 
small  rocky  islets  off  the  mouth  of  San  Francisco  Harbor. 
Hunters  along  the  coast  of  Oregon  still  continue,  however,  to 
shoot  a  few  annually,  but  at  restricted  localities,  as  on  the 
small  reach  of  coast  at  Gray's  Harbor,  where  nearly  all  that  are 
now  obtained  from  the  whole  district  are  found. 


ALASIvA.  2Cti 


THE    FUR-SEAL    ROOKEPJES    OF    THE    SOUTH    AT- 
LANTIC. 

While  the  CaJIorhuius  is  found  iu  such  great  munbers  in  the 
Korth  I'acitic,  there  is  notliinji'of  its  genus  found  in  tlie  waters 
of  the  North  Atlantic,  and  none  to  speak  of  in  the  South  Pacific, 
and  to-day  the  whole  number  found  elsewhere  than  Alaska  is 
quite  small,  though  iu  early  days,  some  hundred  years  ago, 
when  the  fur-seal  was  first  discovered  on  the  South  Shetland 
Islands,  they  were  so  abundant  and  so  nirinerous  that  hundreds 
of  thousands  were  annually  taken — taken  without  the  slightest 
regard  to  sex  or  condition,  although  the  skins  were  not  of  great 
A'alue  then.  So  numerous  were  these  animals  that  for  over  fifty 
j'ears  au  immense  number,  several  hundred  thousand  skins, 
were  yearly  secured  in  this  reckless,  ruinous  fashion,  and  it  was 
not  until  the  beginning  of  the  last  decade  that  the  supply  grew 
so  small  that  scarcely  a  vessel  of  the  former  fleets  remained  on 
the  ground ;  and  last  season,  the  winter  of  1873-74,  less  than 
15,000  were  gathered  from  the  ground  upon  which  Djany  mil- 
lions of  fur-seals  were  found  forty  years  ago  resting  and 
breeding. 

The  government  of  Buenos  Ay  res  has  from  the  first  protected 
and  cared  for  a  small  rookery  of  fur-seals  under  the  blufts  at 
Cabo  Corrientes,  on  its  coast,  Avhere  sOrae  5,000  to  8,000  are  an- 
nually taken,  but  the  seals  here  have  no  hauling-grounds  like 
those  on  Saint  Paul ;  they  are  taken  with  much  labor  under  the 
high  cliffs  of  this  portion  of  the  coast.  This  is  the  only  govern- 
ment aid  and  care  that  the  seals  have  ever  received  outside  of 
Bering  Sea.  The  following  extract  shows  the  way  iu  which  the 
fur-seals  of  the  south  came  into  notice  : 

"  Soon  after  Captain  Cook's  voyage  iu  the  Resolution,  per- 
formed in  1771,  he  presented  an  official  report  concerning  New 
Georgia,  in  which  he  gave  an  account  of  the  great  number  of 
elephant-seals  and  fur-seals  which  he  had  found  on  the  shores 
of  that  island.  This  induced  several  enterprising  merchants  to 
fit  out  vessels  to  take  them  ;  the  former  for  their  oil,  the  latter 
for  their  skins.  Captain  Weddell  states  that  he  had  been  cred- 
ibly informed  that  during  a  period  of  about  fifty  years  not  less 
than  20,000  tons  of  oil  were  procured  annually  from  this  spot 
alone  for  the  London  market,  which,  at  a  moderate  ])rice,  would 
yield  about  £1.000,000  a  year. 


262  ALASKA. 

"  Sealskins  are  very  mncli  nsed  iu  their  raw  state  as  articles 
of  apparel  by  the  natives  of  the  polar  zones :  when  tanned, 
they  are  used  extensively  iu  making-  shoes ;  and  the  Eskimo 
have  a  process  by  which  they  make  them  water-proof,  (f)  so 
that,  according  to  Scoresby,  the  jackets  and  trousers  made  of 
them  by  these  people  are  in  great  request  among  the  whale- 
Ushers  for  ijreserving  them  from  oil  and  wet.  But  the  skins 
are  not  onlv  used  in  this  raw  and  tanned  state  as  leather:  on 
account  of  their  silky  and  downy  covering,  they  constitute  still 
more  important  articles  connected  with  the  fur-trade.  Thus 
considered,  sealskins  are  of  two  kinds,  which  may  be  distin- 
guished as  hair-skins  and /jtr-skins ;  the  former  are  used  as 
clothing  and  ornament  by  the  Russians,  Chinese,  and  other 
nations,  and  the  latter  yield  a  fur  which  we  believe  exceeds  in 
value  all  others  which  have  been  brought  into  the  market. 
Many  seals  supply  nothing  but  hair,  while  others  in  different 
proportions  produce  both  the  hair,  and  underneath  it  soft  and 
downy  fur.  The  majority,  we  believe,  are  to  be  considered 
merely  as  hair-skins,  similar  to  the  bear  or  sable,  and  of  these 
some  are  excellent  of  their  kind  and  much  j)rized.'' — HamiUon^s 
Ampliihions  Mammalia,  Edinburgh,  1839. 

"With  j^egard  to  the  manner  iu  which  the  business  was  carried 
on  down  here  we  find  in  the  Encyclopfedia  Britannica  the  fol- 
lowing facts:  "From  about  the  vear  180G  till  1823  an  extensive 
trade  was  carried  on  in  the  South  Seas  in  procuring  seal-skins ; 
these  were  obtained  in  vast  abundance  by  the  first  traders  and 
yielded  a  very  large  profit.  The  time  was  when  cargoes  of 
those  skins  yielded  five  or  six  dollars  apiece  in  China,  and  the 
present  price  in  the  English  market  averages  from  50  to  50 
shillings  per  skin.  The  number  of  skins  brought  off  from 
Georgia  cannot  be  estimated  at  fewer  than  1,200,000 ;  the 
island  of  Desolation  has  been  equally  productive,  and,  in  addi- 
tion to  the  vast  sums  of  monej-  which  these  creatures  have 
yielded,  it  is  calculated  that  several  thousand  tons  of  shipping 
have  annually  been  employed  iu  the  traffic." 

An  English  writer  in  1839  calls  attentiou  to  the  deplorable 
and  ruinous  management  of  at^^'airs  on  the  great  rookeries  of 
the  South  Pacific  iu  the  following  strong  terms  : 

"  It  may  be  considered  superfluous  to  read  a  lecture  to  the 
trader  upon  a  matter  so  nearly  touching  his  own  interest ;  and 
yet  there  is  one  point,  at  the  same  time,  which  forms  so  essen- 
tial a  part  of  my  subject,  that  we  cannot  withhold  a  word  or 


ALASKA.  2G3 

two.  These  valuable  creatures  (fur-seals)  have  often  beeit 
found  frequenting-  some  sterile  islands  in  innumerable  multi- 
tudes. By  way  of  illustration,  I  shall  refer  only  to  the  fur-seal 
as  occurring  in  South  Shetland.  On  this  barren  spot  their 
numbers  were  such  that  it  has  been  estimated  that  it  could 
have  continued  permanently  to  furnish  a  return  of  100,000  furs 
a  year;  which,  to  say  nothing-  of  the  public  benefit,  would  have 
yielded  annually  a  very  handsome  sum  to  the  adventurers. 
But  what  do  these  men  do  ?  In  two  short  years,  1821  and  1822,  so 
great  is  the  rush  that  they  destroy  320,000.  They  killed  all,  and 
spared  none.  The  moment  an  animal  landed,  though  big  with 
young,  it  was  destroyed.  Those  on  shore  were  likewise  imme- 
diately dispatched,  though  the  cubs  were  but  a  day  old.  These^ 
of  course,  all  died,  their  number,  at  the  lowest  calculation,  ex- 
ceeding- 100,000.  No  wonder,  then,  at  the  end  of  the  second 
year  the  animals  in  this  locality  were  nearly  extinct.  So  is  it  in 
other  localities,  and  so  with  other  seals,  and  so  with  the  oil-seals,, 
and  so  with  the  whale  itself,  every  addition  only  making  bad 
worse.  All  this  might  easily  be  prevented  by  a  little  less  bar- 
barous and  revolting  cruelty,  and  by  a  little  more  enlightened 
selfishness. 

"  With  regard  to  this  seal-fishery  of  the  south,  the  English 
and  Americans  have  exclusively  divided  it  between  them,  and 
with  very  great  profits.  It  has  lately  been  stated  (1839)  that 
they  together  emploj'  not  fewer  than  sixty  vessels  in  the  trade, 
of  from  2o0  to  300  tons  burden.  These  vessels  are  strongly  built, 
and  have  each  six  boats,  like  those  of  the  whalers,  together 
with  a  small  vessel  of  40  tons,  which  is  put  in  requisition  when 
they  reach  the  scene  of  their  operations.  The  crew  consists  of 
about  twenty-four  hands ;  their  object  being  to  select  a  fixed 
locality  from  which  to  make  their  various  batteaus.  Thus  it  is 
very  common  for  the  ship  to  be  moored  in  some  secure  bny  and 
be  partially  unrigged,  while  at  the  same  time  the  furnaces, 
try-pots,  &c.,  required  for  making  the  oil  are  placed  on  shore. 
The  little  cutter  is  then  rigged  and  manned  with  about  half 
the  crew,  who  sail  about  the  neighboring  islands  and  send  a 
few  men  here  and  there,  on  shore  where  they  may  see  seals  or 
wish  to  watch  for  them.  The  campaign  frequently  lasts  for 
three  years,  and  in  the  midst  of  unheard-of  privations  and  dan- 
gers. Some  of  the  crew  are  sometimes  left  on  distant  barren 
spots,  the  others  being  driven  off  by  storms.     They  are  left  to 


264  ALASKA. 

perish  or  drag  out  for  years  a  most  precarious  and  wrotclied 
existence.''* 

This  gives  a  very  fair  idea  of  the  manner  in  which  the  busi- 
ness was  conducted  in  the  South  Pacific.  How  long  would  our 
sealing  interests  in  Bering  Sea  withstand  the  attacks  of  such  a 
fleet  of  sixty  vessels,  carrying  from  twenty  to  thirty  men  eacli? 
Not  over  two  years.  The  fact  that  these  great  southern  rook- 
eries withstood  and  paid  for  attacks  of  this  extensive  character 
during  a  period  of  over  twenty  years  speaks  eloquently  of  the 
millions  upon  millions  that  must  have  existed  in  the  waters  now 
almost  deserted  by  them. 

*  Eobert  Hainiltou,  Amphibious  Mamrualia,  Edinburgh,  1839. 


ALASKA.  "205 


TDOUGUTS  UPON  POSSIBLE   MOVEMENTS  OF  THE 
EUR  SEALS  IN  THE  FUTUiJE. 

As  tliese  animals  live  and  breed  upon  tbe  Prybilov  Lslauds, 
certain  natural  conditions  of  landing-ground  and  climate  ap- 
pear from  my  study  of  tbem  to  be  necessary  to  tbeir  existence 
and  perpetuation.  From  my  surveys  made  upon  tbe  islands  to 
the  uortb.  Saint  Matthew's  and  Saint  Lawrence,  and  the  authen- 
tic corroborating  testimony  of  those  who  have  visited  all  of  the 
mainland-coast  on  our  side  as  well  as  the  islands  adjacent,  in- 
cluding the  Peninsula  and  the  Aleutian  Archipelago,  1  have 
no  hesitation  in  stating  that  the  fur-seal  cannot  breed  on  any 
other  land  than  that  now  resorted  to  within  our  boundary-Hues; 
the  natural  obstacles  are  insuperable.  Therefore,  so  far  as  our 
possessions  extend,  we  have  in  the  Prybilov  group  the  only  eli- 
gible land  on  which  the  fur-seal  can  repair  for  breeding,  and  on 
Saint  Paul  alone  there'  is  still  room  enough  vacant  for  the 
accommodation  of  ten  times  as  many  as  we  find  there  now. 

But  we  know  that  to  the  westward,  and  within  the  jurisdic- 
tion of  Russia,  are  two  islands — one  ver^'  large — on  which  the 
i'ur-seal  regularly  breeds  also,  and  though,  from  the  meager 
testimony  in  our  possession,  we  are  told  that  it  is  in  small  num- 
bers only,  still,  if  the  land  be  as  suitable  for  the  reception  of 
the  rookeries  as  is  that  of  Saint  Paul,  then  what  guarantee  have 
we  that  at  some  future  time  the  seal-life  on  Copper  and  Be- 
ring Islands  may  not  be  greatly  augmented  by  a  correspond- 
ing diminution  of  our  own  with  no  other  than  natural  causes 
operating?  Certainly,  if  the  ground  on  either  Copper  or  Be- 
ring Island  is  as  weli  suited  for  the  wants  of  the  breeding  fur- 
seal  as  is  that  on  Saint  Paul,  then  I  say  that  we  may  at  any 
time  note  a  diminution  here  and  find  a  corresponding  augmen- 
tation there,  for  I  have  clearly  shown,  in  my  chapter  on  the  hab- 
its of  these  animals,  that  they  are  not  particularly  attached  to 
the  respective  places  of  their  birth,  but  that  they  land  with 
an  instinctive  appreciation  of  its  fitness  as  a  whole.  The  want 
of  definite  knowledge  in  regard  to  the  character  of  the  Rus- 
sian islands  is  a  serious  drawback  to  any  correct  generalization 
as  to  the  limit  of  migration,  and  they  ought  to  be  examined  in- 
telligently with  this  view,  for  if  these  Russian  islands  do  not 
present  any  considerable  area  of  eligible  breeding-ground  as  on 
Saint  Paul,  then  we  know  that  they  will  never  be  resorted  to 


266  ALASKA. 

by  auy  great  uuuibers  of  tbe  fur-seal,  not  at  least  vrhile  sa 
much  good  rookery- ground  on  the  American  side  is  vacant  as 
is  the  case  now. 

If  we,  however,  possess  virtually  all  the  best-situated  ground, 
then  we  can  count  upon  retaining  the  s:eal-life  as  we  now  have 
it,  and  in  no  other  way;  for  it  is  not  unlikely  that  some  season 
may  occur  when  an  immense  number  of  the  fur-seals  which 
have  lived  during  the  last  four  or  five  years  on  the  Prybilov 
Islands  should  be  deflected  from  their  usual  feeding-range  by 
the  shifting  of  schools  of  fish,  &c.,  so  as  to  biiug  them  around 
quite  close  to  the  Asiatic  seal-grounds  in  the  spring,  and  the 
scent  from  those  rookeries  would  act  as  a  powerful  stimulant 
for  them  to  land  there,  where  conditions  for  their  breeding  may 
be  as  favorable  as  desired  by  them.  Such  being  the  case,  this 
diminution  which  we  would  notice  on  the  Prybilov  group  Avould 
be  the  great  increase  observed  here,  and  not  due  to  any  mis- 
management on  the  part  of  the  men  in  charge  of  these  inter- 
ests. Thus  it  appears  to  me  necessary  that  definite  knowledge 
concerning  the  Commander  Islands  and  the  Kuriles  should 
be  possessed ;  without  it,  I  should  not  hesitate  to  say  that  any 
report  made  by  an  agent  of  the  Department  as  to  a  visible  dim- 
inution of  the  seal-life  on  the  Prybilovs,  due,  in  his  opiniou, 
to  the  effect  of  killing,  as  it  is  conducted,  was  without  good 
foundation  ;  that  this  diminution  would  have  been  noticed  just 
the  same  in  all  likelihood  had  there  been  no  taking  of  seals  at 
all  on  the  islands,  and  that  the  missing  seals  are  more  than 
probably  on  the  Kussian  grounds. 

If  we  find,  however,  that  the  character  of  this  Eussian  seal- 
land  is  restricted  to  narrow  beach-margins  under  bluffs,  as  at 
Saint  George,  then  we  know  that  a  great  body  of  seals  will  never 
attempt  to  land  there  when  they  could  not  do  so  without  suffer- 
ing, and  therefore,  with  this  correct  understanding  to  start  on, 
we  can  then  feel  alarmed  with  good  reason  should  we  observe 
a  diminution  to  any  noteworthy  degree  on  Saint  Paul. 

T  do  not  think,  however,  that  we  will  be  called  upon  to  look 
into  this  question  for  an  indefinite  time  to  come,  though  it  may 
come  soon ;  but  the  seals  undoubtedly  feed  in  systematic  rou- 
tine  of  travel  from  the  time  they  leave  the  Prybilov  Islands  un- 
til their  return,  and  therefore,  in  all  probability,  unless  the  fish 
ni3on  which  they  feed  suddenly  become  scarce  in  our  waters  on 
soundings,  they  (the  seals)  will  not  change  their  base  as  mat- 


ALASKA.  267 

tors  now  progress,  but  it  cannot  be  considered  superdnous  to 
call  up  this  question  for  discussion  and  future  thouglit. 

In  the  mean  time  tbe  movements  of  the  seals  upon  the  sev- 
eral breeding-grounds  of  Saint  Paul  and  Saint  George  should 
be  faithfully-  noted  and  recorded  every  year,  and  the  question  of 
their  increase  or  diminution  will  be  soon  settled  beyond  all 
theory  or  cavil.  This  action  on  the  part  of  the  Government 
agent  up  there  is  of  the  first  importance.  The  counting  of  the 
skins  is  done  alike  twice  over,  by  the  company  in  the  presence 
of  the  natives,  and  then  again  in  San  Francisco  by  the  custom- 
house ofticials  there,  and  henvy  bonds  and  self-interest  would 
prevent  any  attempt  at  transgression  of  law,  even  if  an  ap- 
parent chance  was  offered ;  but  the  company  is  not  bound  to 
submit  a  report  every  year  to  the  Treasury  Department  upon 
the  condition  of  the  seal-life  there,  and  althongh  it  does  take  iu- 
teUigent  cognizance  of  this  matter,  still  no  weight  could  be  at- 
tached to  any  statement  that  it  might  make,  for  the  simple  rea- 
son of  the  cry  that  would  be  raised  of  interested  machination 
if  so  done. 


AN  ACT  to  prevent  the  extermiuutiou  of  fiu-beariug  animals  in  Alaska. 

Be  it  enacted  hi/  the  Senate  and  House  of  Rcpresentatii'es  of  the 
United  States  of  America  in  Congress  assembled,  That  it  shall  be 
unlawful  to  kill  any  fur-seal  upon  the  islands  of  Saint  Paul's 
and  Saint  George's,  or  in  the  waters  adjacent  thereto,  except 
during  the  months  of  June,  July,  September,  and  October,  iu 
each  year ;  and  it  shall  be  unlawful  to  kill  such  seals  at  any 
time  by  the  use  of-  fire-arms,  or  use  other  means  tending  ta 
drive  the  seals  away  from  said  islands :  Provided,  That  the 
natives  of  said  islands  shall  have  the  privilege  of  killing  such 
young  seals  as  may  be  necessary  for  their  own  food  and  cloth- 
ing during  other  months,  and  also  such  old  seals  as  may  be 
required  for  their  own  clothing  and  for  the  manufacture  of  boats 
for  their  own  use,  wbich  killing  shall  be  limited  and  controlled 
by  such  regulations  as  shall  be  prescribed  by  the  Secretary  of 
the  Treasury. 

Sec.  2.  And  he  it  further  enacted,  That  it  shall  be  unlawful  to 
kill  anv  female  seal,  or  anv  seal  less  than  one  year  old,  at  any 
season  of  the  year,  except  as  above  provided  ;  and  it  shall  also 
be  unlawful  to  kill  any  seal  in  the  waters  adjacent  to  said 
islands,  or  on  the  beaches,  clilts,  or  rocks  where  they  haul  up 
from  the  sta  to  renmin ;  and   any  person  who  shall  violate 


268  ALASKA. 

either  of  the  provisions  of  this  or  the  first  section  of  this  act, 
shall  be  punished  on  conviction  thereof,  for  each  ofiense,  by  a 
fine  of  not  less  than  two  hundred  dollars  nor  more  than  one 
thousand  dollars,  or  by  imprisouiuent  not  exceeding  six  months, 
or  by  both  such  fine  and  imprisonment  at  the  discretion  of  the 
court  having  jurisdiction  and  taking  cognizance  of  the  offense  ; 
and  all  vessels,  their  tackle,  apparel,  and  furniture,  whose 
crew  shall  be  found  engaged  in  the  violation  of  any  of  the  pro- 
visions of  this  act,  shall  be  forfeited  to  the  United  States. 

Sec.  3.  And  he  it  further  enacted,  That  for  the  period  of 
twenty  years  from  and  after  the  passage  of  this  act  the  number 
of  fur-seals  which  maybe  killed  for  their  skins  upon  the  island 
of  Saint  Paul's  is  hereby  limited  and  restricted  to  seventy-five 
thousand  per  annum  ;  and  the  number  of  fur-seals  which  may 
be  killed  for  their  skins  upon  the  island  of  Saint  George's  is 
hereby  limited  and  restricted  to  twenty-five  thousand  per  an- 
num :  Provided,  That  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  may  restrict 
and  limit  the  right  of  killing,  if  it  shall  become  necessary  for  the 
l)reservation  of  such  seals,  with  such  proportionate  reduction 
of  the  rents  reserved  to  the  Government  as  shall  be  right  and 
proper ;  and  if  any  person  shall  knowingly  violate  either  of  the 
provisions  of  this  section,  he  shall,  upon  due  conviction  thereof, 
be  punished  in  the  same  way  as  is  provided  herein  for  a  viola- 
tion of  the  provisions  of  the  first  and  second  sections  of  this 
act. 

Sec.  4.  And  be  it  further  enacted,  That  immediately  after  the 
passage  of  this  act  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  shall  lease,  for 
the  rental  mentioned  in  section  6  of  this  act,  to  proper  and 
responsible  i^arties,  to  the  best  advantage  of  the  United  States, 
having  due  regard  to  the  interests  of  the  Government,  the 
native  inhabitants,  the  parties  heretofore  engaged  in  the  trade, 
and  the  protection  of  the  seal-fis'heries,  for  a  term  of  twenty 
years  from  the  1st  day  of  May,  1870,  the  right  to  engage  in  the 
business  of  taking  fur-seals  on  the  islands  of  Saint  Paul's  and 
Saint  George's,  and  to  send  a  vessel  or  vessels  to  said  islands 
for  the  skins  of  such  seals,  giving  to  the  lessee  or  lessees  of  said 
islands  a  lease  duly  executed,  in  duplicate,  not  transferable, 
and  taking  from  the  lessee  or  lessees  of  said  islands  a  bond, 
with  sufficient  sureties,  in  a  sum  not  less  than  8500,000,  condi- 
tional for  the  faithful  observance  of  all  the  laws  and  re<iuirements 
of  Congress  and  of  the  regulations  of  the  Secretary  of  the 
Treasury  touching  the  subjecjt-matter  of  taking  fur-seals  and 
disposing  of  the  same,  and  for  the  payment  of  all  taxes  and 


ALASKA.  2G9 

dues  accruing  to  tbe  Uuited  States  connected  therewith.  And 
in  making  said  lease  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  shall  have 
due  regard  to  the  preservation  of  the  seal-fur  trade  of  said 
islands,  and  the  comfort,  maintenance,  and  education  of  the 
natives  thereof.  The  said  lessees  shall  furnish  to  the  several 
masters  of  vessels  employed  by  them  certified  copies  of  the 
lease  held  by  them,  respectively,  which  shall  be  presented  to 
the  Government  revenue- officer  for  the  time  being  who  may  be 
in  cliarge  at  the  said  islands,  as  the  authority  of  the  party  for 
landing  and  taking  skins. 

Sec.  5.  And  be  it  further  enacted,  That  at  the  expiration  of 
said  term  of  twenty  years,  or  on  surrender  or  forfeiture  of  any 
lease,  other  leases  may  be  made  in  manner  as  aforesaid  for 
other  terms  of  twenty  years  ;  but  no  persons  other  than  Ameri- 
can citizens  shall  bo  permitted,  by  lease  or  otherwise,  to  occupy 
said  islands,  or  either  of  them,  for  the  purpose  of  taking  the 
skins  of  fur-seals  therefrom,  nor  shall  any  foreign  vessel  be  en- 
gaged in  taking  such  skins  ;  and  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury 
shall  vacate  and  declare  any  lease  forfeited  if  the  same  be  held 
or  operated  for  the  use,  benefit,  or  advantage,  directly  or  indi- 
rectly, of  any  person  or  persons  other  than  American  citizens. 
Every  lease  shall  contain  a  covenant  on  the  part  of  the  lessee 
that  he  will  not  keep,  sell,  furnish,  give,  or  dispose  of  any  dis- 
tilled spirits  or  spirituous  liquors  on  either  of  said  islands  to 
any  of  the  patives  thereof,  such  person  not  being  a  physician 
and  furnishing  the  same  for  use  as  medicine ;  and  any  person 
who  shall  kill  any  fur-seal  on  either  of  said  islands,  or  in  the 
waters  adjacent  thereto,  (excepting  natives  as  provided  b}'  this 
act,)  without  authority  of  the  lessees  thereof,  and  any  person 
■who  shall  molest,  disturb,  or  interfere  with  said  lessees,  or 
either  of  them,  or  their  agents  or  employes  in  the  lawful  i)rose- 
cution  of  their  business,  under  the  provisions  of  this  act,  shall 
be  deemed  guilty  of  a  misdemeanor,  and  shall  for  each  offense^ 
on  conviction  thereof,  be  punished  in  the  same  way  and  by  like 
penalties  as  prescribed  in  the  second  section  of  this  act ;  and  all 
vessels,  their  tackle,  apparel,  appurtenances,  and  cargo,  whose 
crews  shall  be  found  engaged  in  any  violation  of  either  of  the 
provisions  of  this  section,  shall  be  forfeited  to  the  United 
States  :  and  if  any  person  or  company,  under  any  lease  herein 
authorized,  shall  knowingly  kill,  or  permit  to  be  killed,  any 
number  of  seals  exceeding  the  number  for  each  island  in  this 
act  prescribed,  such  person  or  company  shall,  in  addition  to 
the  penalties  and  forfeitures  aforesaid,  also  forfeit  the  whole 


270  ALASKA. 

number  of  tbe  skiDS  of  seals  killed  in  that  year,  or,  in  case 
the  same  have  been  disposed  of,  then  said  person  or  company 
shall  forfeit  tbe  value  of  tbe  same.  And  it  sball  be  tbe 
duty  of  any  revenue-officer,  officially  acting  as  such  on  either  of 
said  islands,  to  seize  and  destroy  any  distilled  spirits  or  spiritu- 
ous liquors  found  thereon  :  Provided,  That  such  officer  shall 
make  detailed  report  of  bis  doings  to  tbe  collector  of  tbe  port. 

Sec.  G.  And  be  it  further  enacted,  That  tbe  annual  rental  to 
be  reserved  by  said  lease  sball  be  not  less  than  §50,000  per 
annum,  to  be  secured  by  deposit  of  United  States  bonds  to  that 
amount,  and  in  addition  hereto  a  revenue  tax  or  duty  of  two 
dollars  is  hereby  laid  upon  each  fur-seal  skin  taken  and  shipped 
from  said  islands  during  tbe  continuance  of  such  lease,  to  bo 
paid  into  the  Treasury  of  tbe  United  States  ;  and  tbe  Secretary 
of  tbe  Treasury  is  hereby  empowered  and  authorized  to  make 
all  needful  rules  and  regulations  for  tbe  collection  and  payment 
of  the  same,  for  the  comfort,  maintenance,  education,  and  pro- 
tection of  tbe  natives  of  said  islands,  and  also  for  carrying  into 
full  effect  all  the  provisions  of  this  act :  Provided  furtker.  That 
the  Secretary  of  tbe  Treasury  may  terminate  any  lease  given  to 
any  person,  company,  or  coiporatiou,  on  full  and  satisfactory 
proof  of  the  violation  of  any  of  the  provisions  of  this  act  or  tbe 
rules  and  regulations  established  by  him  :  Provided  further, 
That  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  is  hereby  authorized  to 
deliver  to  the  owners  the  fur-seal  skins  now  stored  on  the 
islands,  on  tbe  payment  of  one  dollar  for  each  of  said  skins 
taken  and  shipped  away  by  said  owners. 

Sec.  7.  And  he  it  further  enacted,  That  the  provisions  of  tbe 
seventh  and  eighth  sections  of  an  act  entitled  "An  act  to  ex- 
tend tbe  laws  of  tbe  United  States  relating  to  customs,  com- 
merce, and  navigation  over  the  territory  ceded  to  tbe  United 
States  by  Rnssia,  to  establish  a  collection  district  therein,  and 
for  other  i^urposes,"  approved  July  27,  1808,  shall  be  deemed 
to  apply  to  this  act ;  and  all  prosecutions  for  off'enses  com- 
mitted against  the  provisions  of  this  act,  and  all  other  pro- 
ceedings bad  because  of  tbe  violations  of  the  provisions  of 
this  act,  and  which  are  authorized  by  said  act  above  men- 
tioned, shall  be  in  accordance  with  tbe  provisions  thereof;  and 
all  acts  and  i>nrts  of  acts  inconsistent  with  the  i)rovisions  of 
this  act  are  hereby  repealed. 

Sec.  8.  And  he  it  further  enacted,  That  tbe  Congress  may 
at  any  time  hereafter  alter,  amend,  or  repeal  this  act. 

Ai)proved,  July  1,  1870. 


ALASKA.  271 


BY-LAWS  OF  THE  ALASKA  COMMERCIAL  COMPAQ V, 
SxVN  Fit A^' CISCO,  CALIFOltXIA. 

I.  The  corporate  name  of  tbis  company  is  the  Alaska  Com- 
mercial Company,  and  its  aflairs  are  under  the  control  of  live 
trustees,  who  shall  hereafter  be  chosen  by  the  stockholders 
of  the  company  on  the  second  Wednesday  of  June  in  each  year, 
and  who  shall  hold  office  until  their  successors  are  elected. 
The  annual  meetings  of  the  stockholders  shall  be  held  at  the 
office  of  the  company.  At  all  elections  of  trustees  by  the  stock- 
holders each  stockholder  shall  be  entitled  to  one  vote  for  every 
share  of  stock  held  by  him  on  the  books  of  the  company. 
Stockholders  may  vote  by  proxy.  All  proxies  shall  be  signed 
by  the  party  owning  the  stock  represented. 

II.  The  principal  place  of  business  of  the  company  is  San 
Francisco,  California. 

III.  The  regular  meetings  of  the  board  of  trustees  will  be 
lieid  at  the  office  of  the  company  on  the  first  Weduesday  in 
each  month,  at  12  o'clock  m.,  and  no  notice  of  such  meeting  to 
any  of  the  trustees  shall  be  requisite.  Other  meetiugs  of  the 
board  of  trustees  may  be  held  upon  the  call  of  the  president, 
by  notice,  signed  by  him,  of  the  time  and  place  of  meeting, 
personally  served  on  each  trustee  residing  within  this  State,  or 
published  in  a  newspaper  of  general  circulation  in  San  Fran- 
cisco for  ten  days  successively  next  preceding  the  day  of  such 
meeting.  Special  meetings  may  be  held  upon  notice,  signed 
by  three  trustees,  stating  the  time  and  place  of  meeting,  and 
the  purpose  for  which  the  meeting  is  called,  having  been  duly 
served  on  each  trustee,  or  published  in  a  newspaper  of  general 
circulation  in  San  Francisco  for  ten  days  successively  next  pre- 
ceding the  day  of  meeting,  and  no  business  other  than  that 
specified  in  the  notice  shall  be  transacted  at  such  special  meet- 
ing. At  all  meetings  of  the  board  any  three  of  the  trustees 
being  present  shall  constitute  a  quorum  for  the  transaction  of 
the  business  of  the  company.  Adjourned  meetings  may  be 
held  in  pursuance  of  a  resolution  of  the  board  adopted  at  any 
regular  or  general  meeting  of  the  board.  Any  three  trustees 
elected  at  any  annual  meeting  of  the  stockholders  of  the  com- 
panj',  and  being  present  at  the  close  of  such  stoi^kliolders'  meet- 
ing, may,  on  the  same  day,  without  notice  to  any  of  the  trustees, 
meet  and  organize  the  board  by  the  election  of  officers,  and 


272  ALASKA. 

may  transact  such  other  hiisiuessas  may  come  before  the  board 
at  such  meeting. 

IV.  The  officers  of  the  company  shall  consist  of  a  president^ 
a  vice-president,  and  a  secretary,  who  shall  be  chosen  by  the 
board  of  trustees  at  their  first  meeting  after  the  annual  elec- 
tion of  trustees  ;  such  officers  to  hold  office  one  year,  or  until 
their  successors  are  elected. 

V.  The  president,  or  in  his  absence  the  vice-president,  shall 
preside  at  the  meetings  of  the  board.  In  case  neither  are  pres- 
ent, the  board  may  appoint  a  president  j^ro  tempore. 

VI.  All  vacancies  in  the  board  may  be  filled  by  the  board  at 
the  next  meeting  after  the  existence  of  such  vacancy,  and  it 
shall  require  the  affirmative  vote  of  three  trustees  to  elect.  In 
case  of  any  vacancy  occurring  among  the  officers  or  agents  of 
the  company,  the  same  may  be  filled  at  any  meeting  of  the 
board. 

VII.  All  certifi(:ates  of  the  capital  stock  of  the  company 
shall  be  signed  by  the  president  and  secretary,  attested  by 
the  corporate  seal  of  the  comiiauy,  and  can  be  issued  to  the 
parties  entitled  thereto  or  their  authorized  agent.  All  trans- 
fers of  stock  shall  be  made  on  the  books  of  the  company  b^' 
the  secretary,  upon  surrender  of  the  original  certificate  or  cer- 
tificates, properly  indorsed  by  the  party  in  whose  favor  the 
same  was  issued.  No  stock  shall  be  transferred  to  an^-  person 
not  a  stockholder  of  the  company  at  the  time  of  such  transfer, 
unless  the  same  shall  have  been  offered  for  sale  to  the  com- 
pany, or  stockholders  of  the  company,  and  the  purchase  at  the 
fair  cash  or  market  value  refused,  except  by  authority  of  a 
resolution  of  the  board  of  trustees  permitting  such  transfer. 

VIII.  The  corporate  seal  of  the  company  consists  of  a  die  of 
the  following  words :  "xUaska  Commercial  Company,  San 
Francisco,  California." 

IX.  The  corporate  seal,  and  all  property,  securities,  inter- 
ests, and  business  of  the  company,  shall  be  under  the  control 
and  general  management  of  the  president,  subject  to  the  di- 
rection of  the  board  of  trustees.  The  funds  of  the  company 
shall  be  deposited  (from  time  to  time,  as  they  are  received)  to 
the  credit  of  the  company,  with  a  bank  doing  business  in  San 
Francisco,  to  be  designated  by  the  president,  and  the  said  funds 
can  be  drawn  from  such  bank  only  by  proper  checks  or  drafts, 
signed  by  the  president  or  vice-president  of  the  company.  The 
books  of  the  company  shall  be  kept  by  the  secretary,  who  shall 


ALASKA.  273 

also  keep  a  correct  record  of  all  the  i)rocecdiiigsof  the  board 
of  trustees  had  at  their  meetings,  aud  perforin  such  other 
duties  as  the  board  of  trustees  may  require. 

X.  The  pay  and  salaries  of  all  officers  of  the  company  shall 
be  determined,  from  time  to  time,  by  the  board  of  trustees. 

XI.  The  president  of  the  company  shall  have  power  to  ap- 
point and  employ  such  general  business  agents,  factors,  attor- 
neys, clerks,  and  other  employes  as  he  may  deem  proper  and 
requisite  for  conducting-  the  business  and  affairs  of  the  com- 
pany ;  and  he  shall  fix  the  pay,  commissions,  or  salaries  of  all 
such  agents,  factors,  attorneys,  clerks,  and  other  employes, 
from  time  to  time,  as  circumstances  shall  require. 

XII.  All  transfers  of  the  capital  stock  of  this  company  made 
to  persons  not  citizens  of  the  United  States,  or  made  for  the 
use  or  benefit  of  any  citizen  or  citizens  of  any  foreign  govern- 
ment, are  absolutely  void. 

XIII.  Dividends  from  the  net  profits  of  the  company  may 
be  declared  and  paid  by  order  of  the  board  of  trustees,  in  ac- 
cordance with  law. 

XIV.  These  by-laws  may  be  altered  or  amended  by  the 
board  of  trustees  in  the  manner  prescribed  by  law. 

18  AL 


274  ALASKA. 


KEGULATIONS. 

Office  Alaska  Commercial  Company, 

San  Francisco,  January,  1872 
The  following  regulations  are  prescribed  for  the  guidance  of 
all  concerned  : 

1.  The  general  management  of  the  company's  affairs  on  the 
islands  of  Saint  Paul's  and  Saint  George's  is  intrusted  to  one 
general  agent,  whose  lawful  orders  and  directions  must  be  im- 
l)licitly  obeyed  by  all  subordinate  agents  and  employes. 

2.  Seals  can  only  be  taken  on  the  islands  during  the  months 
of  June,  July,  September,  and  October  in  each  year,  except 
those  killed  by  the  native  inhabitants,  for  food  and  clothing, 
under  regulations  prescribed  by  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury. 

Female  seals  and  seals  less  than  one  year  old  will  not  be 
killed  at  any  time,  and  the  killing  of  seals  in  the  waters  sur- 
rounding the  islands,  or  on  or  about  the  rookeries,  beaches, 
cliffs,  or  rocks,  where  they  haul  up  from  the  sea  to  remain,  or 
by  the  use  of  firearms,  or  any  other  means  tending  to  drive 
the  seals  away  from  the  islands,  is  expressly  forbidden. 

3.  The  use  of  fire-arms  on  the  islands,  during  the  period  from 
the  first  arrival  of  ^eals  in  the  spring-season  until  they  dis- 
appear from  the  islands  in  autumn,  is  prohibited. 

4.  No  dogs  will  be  permitted  on  the  islands. 

5.  No  person  will  be  permitted  to  kill  seals  for  their  skins 
on  the  islands,  except  under  the  supervision  and  authority  of 
the  agents  of  the  company. 

G.  No  vessels  other  than  those  employed  by  the  company,  w 
A'essels  of  the  United  States,  will  be  permitted  to  touch  at  the 
islands,  or  to  land  any  persons  or  merchandise  thereon,  except 
in  cases  of  shipwreck  or  vessels  in  distress. 

7.  The  number  of  seals  which  may  be  annually  killed  for 
their  skins  on  Saint  Paul's  Island  is  limited  to  seventy-five 
thousand,  and  the  number  which  may  be  so  killed  on  Saint 
George's  Island  is  limited  to  twenty-five  thousand. 

8.  No  persons  other  than  American  citizens,  or  the  Aleutian 
inhabitants  of  said  islands,  will  be  employed  by  the  company 
on  the  islands  in  any  capacity. 


ALASKA.  275 

9.  The  Aleutian  people  living  on  the  islands  will  be  em- 
ployed by  the  company  in  taking  seals  for  their  skins,  and 

they  will  be  paid  for  the  labor  of  taking  each  skin  and  deliver- 
ing the  same  at  the  salt-house  forty  cents,  coin,  until  otherwise 

ordered  by  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury.  For  other  labor  per- 
formed for  the  company,  proper  and  remunerative  wages  will  be 
paid,  the  amount  to  be  agreed  upon  between  the  agents  of  the 
company  and  the  persons  employed.  The  working-parties  will 
be  under  the  immediate  control  of  their  own  chiefs,  and  no 
compulsory  means  will  ever  be  used  to  induce  the  people  to 
labor.  All  shall  be  free  to  labor  or  not,  as  they  may  choose. 
The  agents  of  the  company  will  make  selection  of  the  seals  to 
be  killed,  and  are  authorized  to  use  all  proper  means  to  pre- 
vent the  cutting  of  skins. 

10.  All  provisions  and  merchandise  required  by  the  inhabit- 
ants for  legitimate  use  will  be  furnished  them  from  the  com- 
pany's stores,  at  prices  not  higher  than  ordinary  retail  prices 
at  San  Francisco,  and  in  no  case  at  prices  above  25  per  cent, 
advance  on  wholesale  or  invoice  prices  in  San  Francisco. 

11.  The  necessary  supplies  of  fuel,  oil,  and  salmon  will  be 
furnished  the  people  gratis. 

12.  All  widows  and  orphan  children  on  the  islands  will  be 
supported  by  the  company. 

13.  The  landing  or  manufacture  on  the  islands  of  spirituous 
or  intoxicating  liquors  or  wines  will  under  no  circumstances  be 
permitted  by  the  company,  and  the  preparation  and  use  of  fer- 
mented liquors  by  the  inhabitants  must  be  discouraged  in  every 
legitimate  manner. 

14.  Free  transportation  and  subsistence  on  the  company's 
vessels  will  be  furnished  all  people,  who  at  any  time  desire  to 
remove  from  the  islands  to  any  place  in  the  Aleutian  group  of 
islands. 

15.  Free  schools  will  be  maintained  by  the  company  eight 
months  in  each  year,  four  hours  per  day,  Sundays  and  holidays 
excepted,  and  agents  and  teachers  will  endeavor  to  secure  the 
attendance  of  all.  The  company  will  furnish  the  necessary 
books,  stationery,  and  other  appliances  for  the  use  of  the  schools 
without  cost  to  the  people. 

16.  The  physicians  of  the  company  are  required  to  faithfully 
attend  upon  the  sick,  and  both  medical  attendance  and  medi- 
cines shall  be  free  to  all  persons  on  the  islands ;  and  the  ac- 


276  ALASKA. 

ceptance  of  gratuities  from  the  people  for  such  services  is  for- 
bidden. 

17.  The  dwelling-houses  now  being  erected  by  the  company, 
will  be  occupied  by  the  Aleutian  families,  free  of  rent  or  other 
charges. 

18.  No  interference  on  the  part  of  agents  or  emj)loy^s  of  the 
company,  in  the  local  government  of  the  people  on  the  islands, 
or  in  their  social  or  domestic  relations,  or  in  their  religious  rites 
or  ceremonies,  will  be  countenanced  or  tolerated. 

19.  It  is  strictly  enjoined  upon  all  agents  and  employes  of 
the  company  to  at  all  times  treat  the  inhabitants  of  the  islands 
with  the  utmost  kindness,  and  endeavor  to  preserve  amicable 
relations  with  them.  Force  is  never  to  be  used  against  them, 
except  in  defense  of  life,  or  to  prevent  the  wanton  destruction 
of  valuable  property.  The  agents  and  employes  of  the  com- 
pany are  expected  to  instruct  the  native  people  in  household 
economy,  and,  by  precept  and  example,  illustrate  to  them  the 
principles  and  benefits  of  a  higher  civilization. 

20.  Faithful  and  strict  compliance  with  all  the  provisions  and 
obligations  contained  in  the  act  of  Congress  entitled  "An  act 
to  prevent  the  extermination  of  fur-bearing  animals  in  Alaska," 
approved  July  1,  1870,  and  the  obligations  contained  in  the 
lease  to  the  company  executed  in  pursuance  of  said  act,  and 
the  regulations  of  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  i)rescribed 
under  authority  of  said  act,  is  especially  enjoined  upon  all 
agents  and  employes  of  the  company.  The  authority  of  the 
special  agents  of  the  Treasury  appointed  to  reside  upon  the 
islands  must  be  respected,  whenever  lawfully  exercised.  The 
interest  of  the  company  in  the  management  of  the  seal-fisher- 
ies being  identical  in  character  with  that  of  the  United  States, 
there  can  be  no  conflict  between  the  agents  of  the  company 
and  the  agents  of  the  Government,  if  all  concerned  faithfully 
perform  their  several  duties  and  comply  with  the  laws  and  reg- 
ulations. 

21.  The  general  agent  of  the  company  will  cause  to  be  kept 
books  of  record  on  each  island,  in  which  shall  be  recorded  the 
names  and  ages  of  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  islands,  and,  from 
time  to  time,  all  births,  marriages,  and  deaths  which  may  occur 
on  the  islands,  stating,  in  cases  of  death,  the  causes  of  the 
same.  A  full  transcript  of  these  records  will  be  annually  for- 
warded to  the  home  office  at  San  Francisco. 

22.  Copies  of  these  regulations  will  be  kept  constantly  posted 


ALASKA.  277 

in  conspicuous  places  ou  both  islands,  and  any  willful  violation 
of  the  same  by  the  agents  or  employes  of  the  company  will  be 
followed  by  the  summary  removal  of  the  offending  party. 

JOHN  F.  MILLER, 
President  Alaslca  Commercial  Company. 

Note. — Sections  2  and  7  of  the  above  regulations  were  based  upon  the 
law  of  July  1,  1870;  but  since  then  Congress  has  given  the  Secretary  of  the 
Treasury  the  power  to  fix  the  ratio  for  each  island  upon  a  more  intelligent 
understanding  of  the  subject — and  also  to  extend  the  time  for  taking  from 
the  1st  of  June  up  to  the  15th  of  August. — H.  W.  E. 


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